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| Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium/ 2025-2026 AFC Champions League Elite/ACLE/ League Stage 1 Game 1/ Ulsan HDFC vs. Chengdu Rung Chung/ coach Seo Jeong-won/ scoring/ joy/ photo Kim Jung-soo |
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| Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium/ 2025-2026 AFC Champions League Elite/ACLE/ League Stage 1 Game 1/ Ulsan HDFC vs. Chengdu Rung Chung/ Chengdu Scoring/ Goal Ceremony/ Photo by Kim Jung-soo |
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| Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium/ 2025-2026 AFC Champions League Elite/ACLE/ League Stage 1 Game 1/ Ulsan HDFC vs. Chengdu Rongcheng/ Ulsan Coach Shin Tae-yong/ Photo by Kim Jung-soo |
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Chengdu Longcheng (China), who was invited to the Asian stage for the first time, failed to cross the wall of Ulsan HD with 'K League pride'.
Chengdu lost 1-2 to Ulsan in the first round of the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) League Stage in the 2025-2026 season at Munsu Football Stadium on the 17th. He allowed goals in the 31st minute of the second half of Um Won-sang and Heo Yul, who were substituted, and 50 minutes of extra time.
Director Seo Jung-won, who is leading Chengdu, is the main character of the 「Miracle Magic」, which started in the second part and is currently ranked first in the first part. Shin Tae-yong is best friend of Ulsan coach Shin Tae-yong. Coach Seo tilted further in the second half of the 1-0 lead, excluding the main players in preparation for the Super League.
Coach Seo said "We had our first game of ACLE today, but it's an away game, and the result is regrettable. As the game situation was also focused on the Super League, five important players were forced to be excluded even if they were winning. I lost and lost, and that's a shame. But I had to put the puzzle together on what was precious. The players played hard. I'll prepare well for the next game" he said.
Chengdu has been running first in the Super League with seven consecutive undefeated games (6 wins and 1 draw). It's 53 points. Two teams from Shanghai, Port and Sunhwa, are chasing under the chin. Sanghang Port has 51 points and Sanghwa Sunhwa has 50 points. Chengdu will clash with Shanghai Shenhua on the 21st. It is a match of fate that will determine the direction of winning the Super League this season.
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| Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium/ 2025-2026 AFC Champions League Elite/ACLE/ League Stage 1 Game 1/ Ulsan HDFC vs. Chengdu Rongcheng/ Ulsan Lee Jae-ik/ Competition/ Photo by Kim Jung-soo |
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Coach Seo said, `We did well in the first half and played as we thought. He took the lead when the score came out. However, the turning point was regrettable that he allowed a tie and a come-from-behind goal in the process of removing five key players. I made such a decision because it was an inevitable situation."
Chengdu's goal was scored in the 44th minute of the first half. Lee Hee-kyun and Trojac overlapped in front of the penalty area, failing to properly handle the ball. The ball was caught on Deargiaduo's toes. His right foot shot passed through Cho Hyun-woo and hit the net.
Coach Seo said, `It is true that if we come out with ACLE, of course, we will play against high-quality teams. I had a guess. In that regard, he gave the players a lot of confidence mentally. 'You can do it enough, don't be intimidated and don't play passively. Be confident, ' he demanded. If you watch the ACLE game, the tempo is definitely fast, so you need to improve more"I've been asking my team for years, and I've improved a lot. When I met with a strong team called Ulsan, I showed that without hesitation. I will definitely continue to show good performance in the future," he said, expressing confidence.
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| Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium/ 2025-2026 AFC Champions League Elite/ACLE/ League Stage 1 Game 1/ Ulsan HDFC vs. Chengdu Rongcheng/ Ulsan Heoyul Scoring/ Goal Ceremony/ Photo by Kim Jung-soo |
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And "It's the first ACLE, but it's been a long time since I came out??C. The reason for my excitement is that I played this tournament many times when I was in Suwon, the Korean team. Since he's brought out to the Chinese team, it's Lunar New Year. It was even more so when I played against the Korean team." "It's been five years since I went to China. When I first took charge, I started in the second part, and I set a goal. It is also rewarding to set distant future goals and make them one after another, rather than raising the first part from the second part. That's why I came all the way here. Soccer should continue to be learned and advanced in the future. It's the manager's job to always follow. When I'm having a hard time, I focus more on soccer and focus on the players, so I've come to where I am today."
Seo talked with Shin for a long time after the game. He laughed "I didn't know it was going to be the best, so I asked him if he'd take it out in the second half." The same goes for Ulsan. We cheered for each other. I told him to go further up in the K-League. Coach Shin also told me to win."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
