Ulsan end dry spell with 1-0 win over Jeonbuk

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Ulsan end dry spell with 1-0 win over Jeonbuk

Published: 21 Aug. 2023, 15:47 Updated: 21 Aug. 2023, 17:44

PAIK JI-HWAN
paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr

Ulsan Hyundai's Um Won-sang, front, celebrates with Valeri Qazaishvili after scoring a goal during a K League game against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan in a photo shared on Ulsan's official Facebook page on Sunday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

K League leaders Ulsan Hyundai redeemed themselves with a 1-0 victory over Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Saturday, while the second-place Pohang Steelers continued to pace the leaders with a dramatic 4-3 win against Daejeon Hana Citizen the following day.

Having gone winless in the past two games, including a 2-0 loss to last-place Gangwon FC a week earlier, Ulsan had to bounce back against Jeonbuk.

The match was neck-and-neck from the start, with both sides managing multiple shots on target but failing to find the back of the net until the 71st minute.

Ulsan’s Um Won-sang eventually provided the only goal of the game with a shot inside the penalty box in the 71st minute.

Saturday’s match marked the second time Ulsan have beaten Jeonbuk in the league this season, having recorded a 2-1 win, 2-0 loss and 1-0 win so far.

Elsewhere, FC Seoul and Daegu FC clashed in the capital and shared a point after a 2-2 draw. FC Seoul manager An Ik-soo said after the match that he would resign from his position as he failed to secure a win in the past five games, but the club has yet to officially announce his resignation as of press time Monday.

Daegu FC's Edgar Silva heads the ball during a K League game against FC Seoul at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul in a photo shared on Daegu's official Facebook account on Sunday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The capital side maintained second-place in the early days of the season, but have struggled in recent fixtures and now sit in fourth, edging out fifth-place Gwangju FC by goals scored — the second deciding factor when two teams are tied on points.

Suwon FC were also in action on Saturday and beat Gangwon 2-1 on the road.

Local rivals Suwon Samsung Bluewings also secured three points after a 1-0 victory over Jeju United in Suwon, Gyeonggi on Friday, while Incheon United and Gwangju drew 2-2 on the same day.

Sunday’s only fixture between the Steelers and Daejeon at Pohang Steelyard in Pohang, North Gyeongsang turned out to be a seven-goal thriller.

The Steelers opened the scoring in the 41st minute with a header from Zeca, and the Brazilian forward made it 2-0 with another header in the 51st minute.

The Pohang Steelers' Zeca celebrates scoring a goal during a K League game against Daejeon Hana Citizen at Pohang Steelyard in Pohang, North Gyeongsang on Sunday. [YONHAP]

Kim Seung-dae then further stretched the lead with No. 3 in the 76th minute.

The game looked completely one-sided, but Daejeon’s Tiago Orobo scored a brace in the space of three minutes and made it 3-2 by the 83rd minute.

He even went on to complete his hat-trick in the 96th minute and the game looked to be headed for a 3-3 draw until Hong Yun-sang capitalized on the Steelers’ last chance to manage a dramatic winner in the 98th minute with a header, ending the match at 4-3.

The Steelers added three points after the thriller and remain 11 points behind Ulsan.

The K League will continue this week with Suwon FC facing Incheon United in Suwon and Jeonbuk taking on Daejeon at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla.

Daegu will play Jeju United at DGB Daegu Bank Park the following day and the Steelers will travel north to face Gangwon.

League leaders Ulsan will travel to the capital on Sunday to play FC Seoul while Gwangju face the Bluewings to round off the week.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]