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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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It's on the rise. Defending champion Ulsan beat Jeju and won three consecutive unbeaten games, chasing the leading match by four points. Jeju has been mired in a four-game losing streak.
Ulsan won 2-1 against Jeju at 4:30 p.m. on the 11th thanks to Eric's winning goal in the second half in the away game of the 13th round of the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2025' held at Jeju World Cup Stadium. Ulsan, which led with Rubik's first goal in the fourth minute of the first half, allowed Yuri Jonathan to equalize in the seventh minute of the second half, but did not falter and won by one goal with Eric's winning goal in the 19th minute of the second half. Ulsan Kim Min-hyuk was sent off in the 44th minute of the second half, putting him in a numerical inferiority, but it did not affect the result. In the 8th minute of extra time in the second half, Bojanic's handball foul gave up a penalty kick and faced the risk of losing an equalizer. Cho Hyun-woo saved Yuri Jonathan's shot. Following the East Coast derby against Pohang, Cho Hyun-woo once again stood tall as the hero of Ulsan.
Ulsan, which has been undefeated for three consecutive games following Gwangju (3-0 win) and Pohang (1-1 draw), has narrowed the gap between the leading Daejeon (28 points), which drew 0-0 with Seoul, from 7 points to 4 points on the 10th. Immediately after the end of the game, he defeated Jeonbuk (22 points) in the ranking theory and recaptured the second place.
Rubik'sson shot a magic goal for the season in Jeju. As a result, Ulsan has increased its league scorers to 10 this season. It is the second-highest number after Daejeon, where 11 people tasted the goal. It is a record that gives a glimpse of how evenly Ulsan players maintain their good form recently.
Jeju fell into a four-game losing streak following Anyang (1-2 loss), Daegu (1-3 loss), and Gangwon (0-3 loss). It is tied with the club's most consecutive losses since the introduction of the split round. For the fourth game, he remained in 11th place, which is in the relegation zone.
Ulsan coach Kim Pan-gon activated the member when he defeated Gwangju 3-0 in the 11th round. Eric is at the top, and Lee Chung-yong and Yoon Jae-seok are in charge of the wings. Ko Seung-beom, Boyanich and Jung Woo-young built the three-middle, and Kang Sang-woo, Hwang Seok-ho, Kim Young-kwon, Rubik's son set up a four-back. Cho Hyun-woo defended the goal. Defender signatory cleaned up his long-term injury and was included in the replacement entry on the day, announcing his return. Heo Yul Um Won-sang and Rakaba Lee Jin-hyun also waited on the bench for the order to start.
Jeju head coach Kim Hak-beom pulled out the three-back card, seemingly keeping in mind the recent unstable trend and Ulsan's aggressive style. Lim Chae-min, Song Joo-hoon, and Jang Min-gyu took charge of the three-back, and Kim Ryun-sung and Ahn Tae-hyun took the wingback. Lee Chang-min's Lee Hae-ro was in charge of the midfield, while Yuri Jonathan and Yu In-su Kim Jun-ha were deployed to the offense. Director Kim Hak-beom said, `We have to win somehow", emphasizing the importance of escaping a losing streak.
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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Rubik'sson is a full-back, but he's actually placed in a high position like a winger. The plan was to utilize Rubik's fast feet to penetrate the back of the defense. Ulsan scored the first goal in the fourth minute of the first half with this strategy. Kim Young-kwon, who caught the ball in his camp, stabbed a space pass toward the Jeju gate. Rubik'sson, who broke the thick Jeju defensive wall and caught the ball, scored the first goal with a calm left-footed shot at the gate.
Five minutes later, Ulsan once again had an opportunity to score an additional goal with a strategy to attack the back space. Eric, who received Kim Young-kwon's pass, connected with a right-footed shot, but was blocked by the goalkeeper. Kim Young-kwon's toes looked particularly sharp on this day.
Jeju, which was hit at the beginning of the game following the last match against Gangwon, did not falter and maintained its line. Since then, the two teams have fought a battle one by one. 19 min Yuri Jonathan's header headed straight to the goalkeeper. In the 23rd minute, Rubikshon's shot at the bottom of the left side of the goal was blown away by Kim Dong-joon. In the 27th minute, Kim Ryun-sung's left-footed free kick hit the post.
In the 39th minute of the first half, Ulsan scored an additional goal. Yoon Jae-seok's hill pass from the opponent's box connected to Rubik'sson. Rubik's cross passed through Kim Dong-joon's fingertips and headed to Eric in front of the goal, which Eric calmly pushed. However, the score was nullified by an offside foul. 44 min Eric's shot went over the net. Ulsan led 1-0 in the first half.
Coach Kim Pan-gon took the reins of the attack by removing Yoon Jae-seok and putting Um Won-sang in at half-time. In the first minute of the second half, Kim Ryun-sung's left foot shot slightly went off to the left side of the net. Jeju, which boosted the atmosphere with Kim Ryun-sung's shot, scored an equalizer in the 7th minute of the second half to bring the game back to square one. Lee Chang-min's right-footed cross from the right diagonal point hit Yuri Jonathan's forehead and shook the net. Yuri Jonathan re-demonstrated the fact that he is the best in the K League by making all three goals this season after the games against Anyang and Daegu.
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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Jeju, which gained momentum, put Ulsan in a corner with constant attacks. But he repeatedly missed a chance. Behind the opportunity came a crisis without fail. In the 19th minute of the second half, Um Won-sang's cross in the direction of the gate, which penetrated the space on the right side of the opponent's box, passed through Ko Seung-beom's forehead and connected to Eric. Eric opened the Jeju goal protected by Kim Dong-joon with a witty non-stop volley. He scored his fifth goal in his 10th game in the league.
Coach Kim Pan-gon brought two veterans Lee Chung-yong and Jung Woo-young to the bench immediately after scoring, and added Rakaba and Kim Min-hyuk to fill the midfield. Excluding Jeju Island's Lee Chang-min and Yoo In-su and Kim Jun-ha, Lim Chang-woo, Nam Tae-hee, the Dongjin Park, was put in the game. In the 27th minute of the second half, Kim Min-hyuk scored Boyanich's cross with a header, but it was canceled by an offside foul.
Jeju didn't back down, either. In the 25th minute of the second half, Nam Tae-hee dug into the left side with a fantastic talent and stabbed a cross into the door. Ahn Tae-hyun connected it with a diving header, but he hit the side net. In the 30th minute of the second half, the Dongjin Park penetrated into the box at once and even tried to shoot, but he swallowed the disappointment by heading straight to the goalkeeper.
Ulsan also had an opportunity to score an additional goal. Um Won-sang's shot in the 37th minute of the second half was ineffective, and Rubixson's shot hit the post in the 41st minute of the second half. In the 42nd minute of the second half, Eric dribbled almost all of the defense with a solo dribble in the counterattack and gave up the pass to Lacava. Even the goalkeeper emptied the goal. However, Rakaba's shot went to the chest of Jeju's Kim Ryun-seong, who was defending the goal in vain, and ended up in nothing. In the 44th minute of the second half, Kim Min-hyuk was sent off for a rough tackle. Jeju, which had a numerical advantage, drove it scary. In the 5th minute of extra time in the second half, Jeju scored a penalty for a handball foul. However, Cho Hyun-woo saved Yuri Jonathan's shot aimed at the right side of the goal. The game ended with Ulsan's 2-1 victory.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
