Reigning champions Ulsan return to form as K League season kicks off
Published: 04 Mar. 2024, 14:49
Updated: 05 Mar. 2024, 13:21
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- PAIK JI-HWAN
- [email protected]
![Ulsan HD's Ataru Esaka, right, celebrates with Seol Young-woo during a K Leauge match against the Pohang Steelers at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Friday. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/03/05/e6802981-c384-483b-a731-8c9852ce179a.jpg)
Ulsan HD's Ataru Esaka, right, celebrates with Seol Young-woo during a K Leauge match against the Pohang Steelers at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Friday. [YONHAP]
The 2024 K League 1 season kicked off last week with defending champions Ulsan HD bagging a 1-0 win over last season’s runners-up Pohang Steelers.
The two sides clashed on Friday at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, with Ataru Esaka scoring the very first goal of the season in the 51st minute to give Ulsan three points.
Ulsan seemed to lack goal decisiveness, but the defense led by new signees Ko Seung-beom and Hwang Seok-ho looked stable. The two new signees’ performance is a bright sign for Ulsan, whose defense troubled them at times last year.
Despite scoring the most goals alongside FC Seoul, at 63 last season, Ulsan also conceded 42 goals in 38 league fixtures.
This season will see not only see whether Ulsan can secure a third straight league title, but there's still some other silverware on the line as well — the K League champions are still alive in the 2023-24 AFC Champions League knockout stage.
The Steelers, on the other hand, may need more time to return to their form last season, during which they finished the league as runners-up, won the Korean FA Cup and reached the Champions League knockout stage as the only unbeaten K League team.
Steelers manager Park Tae-ha, who joined the team after then-manager Kim Gi-dong left in December last year to take the helm of FC Seoul, has not secured a win with his side, having exited the Champions League round of 16 with one draw and one loss against fellow K League 1 team Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors last month.
Jeonbuk were also in action on Friday against Daejeon Hana Citizen at home, but only salvaged one point from a 1-1 draw.
![Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' Song Min-kyu, center, shoots during a K League match against Daejeon Hana Citizen at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla on Friday. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/03/05/97adb0ae-a6cc-4e12-bfa9-819045a86ed4.jpg)
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' Song Min-kyu, center, shoots during a K League match against Daejeon Hana Citizen at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla on Friday. [NEWS1]
Jeonbuk displayed a lackluster attack despite having last season’s second-top scorer Tiago Orobo in the squad. Daejeon opened the scoring with a goal from Vladislavs Gutkovskis in the 10th minute, followed by an Ahn Hyun-beom equalizer in the 85th that came after the attacking line missed multiple opportunities in the second half.
Six other teams played on Saturday.
Gwangju FC faced FC Seoul at home and secured a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Lee Hee-gyun and Gabriel Tigrao.
Former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard, who made a surprising move to the capital side last month, made his K League debut as a substitute, but failed to make an impact on the game.
![FC Seoul's Jesse Lingard, left, reacts during a K League match against Gwangju FC at Gwangju Football Stadium in Gwangju on Saturday. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/03/05/5c50bf52-c4e2-4350-a105-a8971fd6dc7a.jpg)
FC Seoul's Jesse Lingard, left, reacts during a K League match against Gwangju FC at Gwangju Football Stadium in Gwangju on Saturday. [YONHAP]
Gwangju topped the league table with the win, edging out three teams — Ulsan, Suwon FC and Gimcheon Sangmu — on goals scored, despite tying on points.

Over in Chuncheon, Gangwon, Gangwon FC also drew 1-1 with Jeju United. For both teams, this season may be a chance to redeem themselves after last season’s failure when they both narrowly avoided relegation to the second division.
Jeju finished in ninth place on the 12-team table last season, just one spot above the relegation zone that puts 10th and 11th teams into the promotion-relegation playoffs against K League 2 sides.
Gangwon finished in 10th place and avoided relegation after winning a playoff against Gimpo FC last year.
Elsewhere, Suwon took three points with a 1-0 victory over Incheon United in Incheon after a Lee Seung-woo penalty in the last minute of the game, earning the first win under new manager Kim Eun-jung.
Suwon’s defense was more stable than last season, during which they conceded the most goals, at 76. The team’s defense vulnerability pushed them all the way down to 11th place on the table last year, but they still survived after beating Busan IPark in the playoffs.
Newly-promoted Gimcheon also earned three points after a 1-0 win over Daegu FC on Sunday.
Gimcheon are the only promoted side this season, having earned direct promotion to the top tier by winning the K League 2 last year.
The military club, however, may face some challenges when squad changeups hit in the middle of the season, as some players are set to leave in July as they complete their military service.
The K League will continue this week with Suwon facing Jeonbuk in Suwon, Gyeonggi on Saturday. The Steelers will take on Daegu in in Pohang, North Gyeongsang later in the day, as Gimcheon face defending champions Ulsan in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang.
Daejeon will fly south to face Jeju the next day, before FC Seoul play Incheon in the capital and Gwangju take on Gangwon at home.
Ulsan and Jeonbuk will be in action midweek, as the two sides are set to face each other in the home-and-away Champions League quarterfinals taking place at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla on Tuesday. The second leg takes place in Ulsan on March 12.
The 2023-24 Champions League runs through May, while the 2024 K League runs from March to December.
BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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