K League 1 rebound Ulsan finally returns → Hiroshima and ACLE Korea-Japan pride battle

Oct 20, 2025

K League 1 rebound Ulsan finally returns → Hiroshima and ACLE Korea-Japan pride battle
Kangwon High1 Arena/ K League1/ Kangwon FC vs Ulsan HDFC/ Ulsan Malkong Scoring/ Goal Ceremony/ Photo by Kim Jung-soo



K League 1 rebound Ulsan finally returns → Hiroshima and ACLE Korea-Japan pride battle
Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium/ K League1/ Ulsan HDFC vs. Gwangju FC/ Ulsan Lee Chung-yong Scoring/ Goal Celebration/ Ulsan squad group/ Photo by Park Jung-hoon
K League 1 rebound Ulsan finally returns → Hiroshima and ACLE Korea-Japan pride battle
Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium/ K League1/ Ulsan HDFC vs. Gwangju FC/ Ulsan Noh Sang-rae, acting head coach/ broadcaster pre-interview/photo by Kim Jung-soo
Ulsan HD will clash with Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Japan) for Korea-Japan pride.

Ulsan will play Hiroshima at Munsu Football Stadium at 7 p.m. on the 21st in the third round of the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) league stage in the 2025-2026 season. Ulsan is cruising on the Asian stage. On the 17th of last month, he won a thrilling 2-1 home game against Chengdu Longcheng (China) in the first round, and tied Shanghai Shenhua (China) 1-1 in the second round on October 1.

Currently, he is in fourth place with two undefeated matches (4, 1 win, 1 draw, +1 goal difference), and will face Hiroshima (4, 1 win, 1 draw, +2 goal difference), which is ranked third just above. If you win this game, you can jump to the front.




Ulsan won 2-0 at home on the 18th thanks to consecutive goals by Rubik'sson and Lee Chung-yong in the 33rd round of the K League 1 against Gwangju FC. Ulsan recently jumped from 10th place to 9th place with an escape from seven league games (three draws and four losses) and escaped from the playoff spot. As much as I took a breather, I can focus on ACLE.

K League 1 rebound Ulsan finally returns → Hiroshima and ACLE Korea-Japan pride battle
Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium/ K League1/ Ulsan HDFC vs Gwangju FC/ Group/ Photo Kim Jung-soo
I got a thousand horses. Expectations are high on Malkong, the flagship striker who shook off his injury. Malkung, who left the ground with a bruise after playing the first half of the match against Chengdu last month, returned to team training for the first time in a month, and is likely to take charge of the front line against Hiroshima. If Malkong joins, he is expected to create synergy in offense with Eric and Rubik'sson, who played a strong role in the match against Gwangju on the 18th.

Ulsan will face Hiroshima on the ACLE stage for the first time. I met him 13 years ago at an international competition. On 12 December 2012, they lost 2–3 in the 5–6th place of the FIFA Club World Cup. Coach Noh Sang-rae, who is currently acting as an acting coach, is the first ACLE in his leadership career.




If Ulsan beats Hiroshima, it can have a positive impact on the upcoming league stage as well as the five Final B games. The goal is to unite as a one-team team and make sure to make the victory sound.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.