Ulsan HD secure convincing 3-0 victory over Ventforet Kofu in Champions League

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Ulsan HD secure convincing 3-0 victory over Ventforet Kofu in Champions League

Published: 15 Feb. 2024, 22:28 Updated: 20 Feb. 2024, 16:18

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

Ulsan HD's Joo Min-kyu, right, celebrates scoring a goal during an AFC Champions League match against Ventforet Kofu at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Ulsan HD thrashed Ventforet Kofu from Japan 3-0 in the first leg of the round of 16 of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League on Thursday, kicking off the knockout stage with a convincing win.

K League team Ulsan were back in action at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on the eve of the regular K League season, which begins in March. The 2023-24 Champions League season runs over two calendar years — from September 2023 through May 2024.

Ulsan’s squad on Thursday remained largely unchanged from last season, but new signees midfielder Kim Min-woo and defender Hwang Seok-ho started the match and made their debut for the team.

The 2023 K League champions displayed a dominant performance and attempted multiple shots in the early going, with Joo Min-kyu opening the scoring in the 37th minute through a header.

His positioning skills that allowed him to be last season’s K League top scorer were visible in that header. Joo then stood up once more in injury time, converting a penalty to make it 2-0 before the halftime whistle.

Ulsan continued to show solid cohesion in the second half, with full back Seol Yeong-woo displaying agile movements in a counter attack alongside midfielder Um Won-sang through which Seol scored a goal on his own in the 62nd minute.

The 3-0 score seemed to take too much pressure off for Ulsan, however, with the team allowing a few goal-scoring chances in the remaining time, including a shot by Peter Utaka that hit the goalpost in the 81st minute.

The Ulsan defense still managed to keep the 3-0 score through the end, earning an edge to reach the quarterfinals.

“It was not perfect, but our players performed better than we had prepared,” Ulsan manager Hong Myung-bo said after the match.

Ulsan’s dominant performance against Kofu comes despite failing to dominate in the group stage like they did in the K League last year — during which the club won the league title for their first-ever title defense — recording three wins, one draw and two losses to finish as Group I runners-up.

Kofu, on the other hand, reached the knockout stage as Group H winners.

In the Champions League, the 10 group winners and three best runners-up from each region — east Asia and west Asia — reach the round of 16.

Winning the continental tournament this season will bring Ulsan’s number of Champions League titles to three, having previously won in 2012 and 2020.

Ulsan will play the second leg of the round of 16 against Kofu at JIT Recycle Ink Stadium in Japan on Feb. 16.

That fixture will be a final tune-up match for Ulsan ahead of the 2024 K League 1 opening match on March 1 when they face last season’s K League runners-up Pohang Steelers.

The Steelers are also in this year’s Champions League knockout stage and lost a first leg of the round of 16 to fellow K League 1 team Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Wednesday.

A total of four K League 1 teams started the 2023-24 Champions League, with only Incheon United crashing out of the group stage earlier.

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