Ulsan's AFC woes continue with another big loss

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Ulsan's AFC woes continue with another big loss

Published: 03 Oct. 2024, 13:31 Updated: 03 Oct. 2024, 16:17

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

Ulsan HD [NEWS1]

K League 1 reigning champions Ulsan HD lost 4-0 to Yokohama F. Marinos on Wednesday for their second straight loss of the inaugural 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) competition.

Wednesday’s fixture at Nissan Stadium in Japan was a chance for Ulsan to redeem themselves from their previous match against Marinos in the AFC Champions League semifinals last season, which ended with the Japanese side winning 5-4 on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

But that was not to be. Instead, it a was one-sided affair from the start. Kota Watanabe opened the scoring for Marinos in the fourth minute, with Takuma Nishimura doubling that lead in the 44th minute.

The Ulsan defense was not quick enough to react, failing to mark the Marinos attack properly. The next two of the goals were a direct result of that, with defenders leaving the players entirely unmarked with plenty of space to get on goal.

Ulsan attempted a few shots in the second half, but failed to convert any of them.

Marinos further stretched their lead with Anderson Lopes firing a mid-range shot in the 83rd minute, followed by goal No. 4 from Kota Mizunuma in stoppage time to seal a huge 4-0 win for the Japanese club.

For Ulsan, Wednesday’s loss is their second straight ACLE loss after a 1-0 loss to Kawasaki Frontale last month.

Ulsan’s unimpressive run in the ACLE comes despite their success in the K League 1, where they still sit at the top of the table as of Thursday.

Ulsan still have six more league stage matches left to play in the ACLE, which adopted a new format where the 12 teams in each group play eight — four home and four away — matches to determine the top eight clubs that reach the round of 16.

Ulsan play their next ACLE match against another Japanese team Vissel Kobe on Oct. 23.

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