Club World Cup medicine or poison? Ulsan and Gwangju will advance to the quarterfinals of the Korea Cup → Domestic schedule
Jul 01, 2025
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Ulsan will play Gwangju FC in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Hana Bank Korea Cup at 7 p.m. on the 2nd at Gwangju World Cup Stadium. Ulsan had a breathless June. Ulsan participated in the Club World Cup, which is being held in the United States from the 6th to the 27th of last month.
He failed to reach his goal of reaching the round of 16. He did well against Ulsan Marmelody Sundowns (South Africa, 0-1 loss), Fluminense (Brazil, 2-4 loss), and Borussia Dortmund (Germany, 0-1 loss), but ended the tournament with all three losses.
Ulsan proved its competitiveness by operating aggressive three-back tactics against champions from each continent and world-class powerhouses, although the expected point hunt failed. In particular, Um Won-sang and Lee Jin-hyun played a great game against Pluminensee, the South American champion, with one goal and one assist each other. Cho Hyun-woo, who is considered Asia's top goalkeeper beyond the K League 1, also showed a strong side to the German team (Dortmund) and showed his presence with a thrilling defense show that blocked nine out of 10 effective shots.
Ulsan's team prepared for the Korea Cup against Gwangju by focusing on rest and recovery for a short time after returning home. Ulsan secured a 3-0 victory over Incheon United in the round of 16 at the Korea Cup at home on May 14, thanks to back-to-back goals from Heo Yul, Eric, and Kim Min-woo, and successfully advanced to the quarterfinals.
Since Kim Pan-gon's inauguration, Ulsan has been undefeated in five games (3 wins and 2 draws) against Gwangju. If they beat Gwangju, they will face the winners of K League 2's Gimpo FC and Bucheon FC in the semifinals. He is aiming to advance to the finals again following last season.
Coach Kim Pan-gon said, "I played one game every four days in the heat during the Club World Cup. It became a difficult situation physically. The key is how quickly and how much you recover mentally and physically. There will be difficulties, but I will do my best to produce good results in the upcoming schedule."
Captain Kim Young-kwon said, `All of our players, including myself, did their best at the Club World Cup. It was a pity that the results did not follow compared to the hard work. Still, I felt and learned a lot through this competition. I realized what I and the players should do at the domestic competition. I will use lessons to achieve better performance and results."
Gatekeeper Cho Hyun-woo did his best as all the members of the Club World Cup, but he was sorry and heartbroken for the fans because it fell short of expectations. It was a great honor and happy to play against a great team while living with my teammates in such a big competition. Through realization, I will focus on the Korea Cup and K League 1 and show Ulsan-like performance," he said with determination.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
