With the performance of Martin Adam (Hungary) and Bakko (Georgia, 2 goals), Jo Hyun-woo’s saving show led Ulsan Hyundai’s solo run toward a second consecutive K-League victory.
Ulsan, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, won 3-2 against FC Seoul in the K-League 1 2023 round 13 home game held at Ulsan Munsu Soccer Stadium on the 14th. With this victory, Ulsan recorded 34 points (11 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss), widening the gap with 2nd place Seoul (23 points) to 11 points and running ahead.
This match was chosen as the best big match of this round because it was a confrontation between the 1st and 2nd places with a difference of 8 points. Ulsan, who won this game, accumulated a whopping 34 points in the opening 13 games, and went down in history as the team that accumulated the most points after the introduction of the promotion and relegation system and second in the history of the K-League in this category. The 2008 Suwon Samsung (37 points) ranked first in the K-League history.
In a game that became a watershed in the competition for the lead, it was the two foreign players who came out as the fixers.
Martin Adam opened the door first. Instead of Joo Min-gyu, he replaced Lee as one-top striker and finished Lee Myung-jae’s grounder cross with his left foot in front of the goal in the 15th minute. Wearing the Ulsan uniform last year, he scored goals only with headers and penalty kicks (PK), but he roared after scoring his first goal that day.
In Seoul’s fierce counterattack, Bakko came out as a solution. In the 3rd minute of the second half when the score was 1-1, he calmly kicked a ground ball cross from the right side with his right foot inside the penalty box. In the 22nd minute of the second half, he shook the Seoul net again with a powerful shot, pouring cold water on the opponent’s will to pursue. This goal remained the game-winning goal of the day.
In particular, Bakko was unable to record an attack point until mid-April and stagnated, but fully revived from the East Coast derby against Pohang Steelers last month and served as a solver that day. His last 6 match record is 5 goals.
As foreign players broke down Seoul’s defense in the forefront, Cho Hyun-woo, the national team’s goalkeeper, reliably defended Ulsan’s goal in the last line. The saving show shown throughout the game was the driving force behind Seoul’s fierce pursuit. 안전놀이터
In the 23rd minute of the first half, Cho Hyun-woo started off by blocking Palosevich’s sharp free kick from the front of the arc, and then put on a long-lasting save show. Lee Tae-seok’s powerful shot, which kicked the ball non-stop after the corner kick, and Willian’s mid-range shot in the second half could hardly break through Cho Hyun-woo’s wall. Every time Cho Hyun-woo made a save, the atmosphere of the benches and fans of both teams was polarized.
They conceded two goals, but it was a loss that was difficult to blame for all of them. On this day, Ulsan was able to win even after allowing as many as 11 effective shots, and it was Cho Hyun-woo’s save.
Coach Hong Myung-bo said, “I could see the players doing their best until the end. Fans came and it was a great help to the players.” There are still many games left. There will definitely be a hurdle, but the most important thing is to be prepared.”