'Return Nanny' Ulsan's new coach Shin Tae-yong won his K-League return match.
Ulsan won 1-0 with Rubik's winning goal in the 27th minute of the second half in the 25th round of the 「Hana Bank K League 1 2025」 against Jeju at Ulsan Munsu Stadium on the 9th. Ulsan, which had no wins (three draws and four losses) in seven consecutive games and eventually dismissed former coach Kim Pan-gon due to poor performance, ended the winless cycle that lasted for three months under Shin. It scored eight wins, eight draws, nine losses and 34 points, setting the stage for re-entry into the top ranks. Jeju (30 points), ranked 9th, which lost all three games against Ulsan this season, has recently fallen into a swamp of two consecutive losses.
Coach Shin Tae-yong, who returned to the K-League stage after 13 years, tried to change the starting lineup while maintaining the three-back used by his former coach Kim Pan-gon in his Ulsan debut. Compared to Suwon FC (2-3 losses), the team has changed six digits. Malkon started for the first time since returning to the K League. Eric and Yoon Jae-seok set up a three-top. Cho Hyun-taek, Lee Jin-hyun, Ko Seung-beom, Choi Seok-hyun formed the midfield and made a three-back with Jung Seung-hyun Trojac and Lee Jae-ik. Cho Hyun-woo wore goalkeeper gloves.
As for the reason for excluding Kim Young-kwon from the entry, coach Shin explained, `I gave him a special vacation because I don't think he took a break from last year to the present.' Boyanich, Rubik's genus, and Kang Sang-woo were included in the replacement list.
Jeju put Yuri Jonatan at the top and placed Kim Joon-ha Nam Tae-hee's Yu In-su at the second line of attack. Lee Chang-min and Jang Min-gyu were in charge of the midfield, while Lim Chang-woo, Lim Chae-min, Song Joo-hoon and Kim Ryun-sung were in charge of the four backs. Kim Dong-joon defended the goal. Thiago, Denilson, Pedrillo, and Oh Jae-hyuk wait for the second half replacement.
The home team Ulsan knocked on the goal first. In the 11th minute, Malkong attempted a right-footed mid-range shot after removing the opponent's pressure with a sensuous ball touch near the opponent's box, but headed in front of the goalkeeper. Shin Tae-yong's Ulsan focused on speeding up the attack with long passes rather than connecting short passes. Eric, Yoon Jae-seok and Ko Seung-beom were busy looking for space, and wingbacks overlapped to the high point.
Eric, who received Ko Seung-beom's lateral pass in the 20th minute, tried to shoot, but it was deflected off the defense body and failed to head to the goal.
Jeju, which was on the defensive, had a decisive chance at the end of the first half. Yoo In-su, who received a pass that Nam Tae-hee stabbed through the defense, attempted a left-footed shot toward the goal. However, the ball flew honestly and was blocked by Cho Hyun-woo.
Kim Jun-ha's mid-range shot in the 45th minute of the first half also failed to avoid Cho Hyun-woo's defense. The first half ended in a 0-0 tie.
Coach Shin replaced two defensive positions at halftime. Jung Seung-hyun and Choi Seok-hyun were brought to the bench and Kang Sang-woo, the signature spectator, was put in. Jeju Island strengthened its midfield by excluding Kim Joon-ha and putting Oh Jae-hyuk in.
Ulsan threatened the Jeju goal with a series of shots from Eric, Malkon and Yoon Jae-seok, but the goal did not open as if it had been opened. Coach Shin took the reins of the attack in the 12th minute of the second half by putting Rubik'sson instead of Yoon Jae-seok. They confronted each other by pulling out the cards of Jeju Island's Tiago.
Since the middle of the second half, the situation in front of the Jeju goal has become increasingly urgent. In the 25th minute of the second half, Malkong connected Cho Hyun-taek's cross in front of the goal with a header, but was blocked by Kim Dong-joon. At the 26th minute, Eric's header was slightly off the post.
In the 27th minute of the second half, Ulsan scored the first goal. Rubik's shot from the center of the penalty box hit Kim Dong-joon's arm and soared high. Eric connected the ball toward the goal with a sliding shot to break the net. At this time, the assistant referee pointed to Eric's offside foul and raised the flag. However, the score was recognized as Eric's shot was made after the ball crossed the goal line through the Video Reading System (VAR).
In the 35th minute of the second half, Cho Hyun-woo hit a ball that Thiago curled directly toward the goal in a corner kick. Jeju, which became urgent, put in Choi Byung-wook Pedringyo in the 43rd minute of the second half without Lim Chang-woo and Lee Chang-min. Ulsan used Heo Yul instead of Malkong. The game ended with Ulsan's 1-0 victory. 'I'm the one's back.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
