It's not over. The 9th place competition is the final round! Ulsan, Friedjohnson, Choi Kyung-rok Scores 2 points behind 10th-ranked Suwon by 0-2 loss to Gwangju

Nov 22, 2025

It's not over. The 9th place competition is the final round! Ulsan, Friedjohnson, Choi Kyung-rok Scores 2 points behind 10th-ranked Suwon by 0-2 loss to Gwangju



It's not over. The 9th place competition is the final round! Ulsan, Friedjohnson, Choi Kyung-rok Scores 2 points behind 10th-ranked Suwon by 0-2 loss to Gwangju
It's not over. The 9th place competition is the final round! Ulsan, Friedjohnson, Choi Kyung-rok Scores 2 points behind 10th-ranked Suwon by 0-2 loss to Gwangju
Ulsan HD does not win and continues its competition for ninth place until the final round.

Ulsan lost 0-2 to Gwangju in the 37th round of 'Hana Bank K League 1 2025' held at Gwangju World Cup Stadium on the 22nd.

Ahead of the match, Suwon FC (42 points), which is competing with Ulsan for the ninth place, caught FC Anyang 1-0 and the gap was narrowed to two points. Ulsan desperately needed a victory to secure the ninth place. However, Ulsan maintained 44 points after losing to Gwangju. By two points, they will be in the final competition for the ninth place in the final round match. In K-League 1, the lowest rank is automatically demoted to K-League 2, and the playoff is a method in which the winner of the K-League 1 ranking 11th, K-League 2 ranking 2nd, and K-League 2 ranking 4th-5th (semi-PO) plays PO with the third place, and then the winner plays the 10th place in K-League 1 and the PO 2nd place.




Gwangju coach Lee Jung-hyo played in a 4-4-2 formation. Fried Jonson and Hayes on the two-top, and Ahn Hyuk-joo, Yoo Je-ho, Joo Se-jong, and Shin Chang-moo built the midfield. Shim Sang-min, Jin Si-woo, Byun Jun-su, and Cho Sung-kwon were located in Four Back. Kim Kyung-min defended the goal.

Acting Ulsan coach Noh Sang-rae faced off with a 4-3-3 formation. Rubik's Son Heo Yul and Yoon Jae-seok were at the forefront, and Jung Woo-young, Baek In-woo and Kim Min-hyuk were at the center. The defense was composed of Cho Hyun-taek, Jung Seung-hyun, Kim Young-kwon, and Yoon Jong-kyu, and Cho Hyun-woo wore goalie gloves.

It's not over. The 9th place competition is the final round! Ulsan, Friedjohnson, Choi Kyung-rok Scores 2 points behind 10th-ranked Suwon by 0-2 loss to Gwangju
It's not over. The 9th place competition is the final round! Ulsan, Friedjohnson, Choi Kyung-rok Scores 2 points behind 10th-ranked Suwon by 0-2 loss to Gwangju
Gwangju scored the first goal early in the first half and quickly took the lead. Friedjohnson's height stood out. In the third minute of the first half, Ahn Hyuk-joo, who beat Ulsan's defense from the right side of the box area, scored a sharp cross into the box. Fried Jonsson, who was in front of the defense, floated high and finished with a header. Before the defense checked, the ball headed into the goal, and even Cho Hyun-woo failed to respond and shook the net.

Gwangju's offensive continued. Hayes, who received a pass in front of the box in the 15th minute of the first half, quickly turned between defenses. Hayes aimed the far side of the goal accurately and tried to shoot and split the goal. However, it was confirmed that Hayes' position was one step ahead of Ulsan's defense in the situation of receiving the ball, and the assistant referee lifted the flag offside and the score was not recognized.

Ulsan had to bring a stolen atmosphere. The solution chosen was veteran input. The replacement was carried out at an early stage. In the 17th minute of the first half, Baek In-woo and Yoon Jae-seok were excluded, and Lee Chung-yong and Um Won-sang were deployed to strengthen the attack.

Nevertheless, the initiative of the attack was still Gwangju. In the 20th minute of the second half, Shin Chang-moo tried to break through the defense in front of the box and even take a shot, but was blocked by Ulsan's hand-to-hand defense. Ulsan took advantage of Um Won-sang's speed. In the 21st minute of the first half, a long pass was delivered to Um Won-sang heading into the back space of Gwangju's defense, and Um Won-sang finished with a cross, but the ball was given to Kim Kyung-min.




Ulsan has also gradually expanded. Um Won-sang's performance stood out in the attack. Um Won-sang shook the right side of the box himself in the 27th minute of the first half and delivered the pass to Lee Chung-yong. Lee Chung-yong's shot hit the defense and touched the upper net. In the 42nd minute of the first half, Heo Yul, who received a pass from the center of the box, tried to try a bicycle kick, but it did not properly impact the defense check. In the extra time of the first half, Jung Seung-hyun's mid-range shot came up a little high, swallowing regret.

Gwangju's 1-0 lead ended the first half.

It's not over. The 9th place competition is the final round! Ulsan, Friedjohnson, Choi Kyung-rok Scores 2 points behind 10th-ranked Suwon by 0-2 loss to Gwangju
It's not over. The 9th place competition is the final round! Ulsan, Friedjohnson, Choi Kyung-rok Scores 2 points behind 10th-ranked Suwon by 0-2 loss to Gwangju
In order to bring the game back to square one, Ulsan also worked passionately in the second half. In the 6th minute of the second half, Jung Woo-young attempted a mid-range shot directly from the front of the box. However, the ball did not exactly go to the goal. In the eighth minute of the second half, Rubik'sson penetrated into the front of the box and connected the pass, but was blocked by the fast cover of the defense. Rubikshon created a threatening scene with a bicycle kick as the ball floated high in the ensuing corner.

Ulsan tried to target Gwangju by raising its defensive line and pressing hard from the midfield. On the other hand, Gwangju broke through Ulsan's pressure system and aimed for a counterattack. He also actively attempted attacks using Fried Jonsson's height.

Gwangju took the opportunity with a counterattack. In the 17th minute of the second half, a mid-range shot attempted by Shin Chang-moo, who received a pass delivered by Hayes, was blocked by the defense. Ulsan's Rubik'sson and Lee Chung-yong also shook the opponent's defense. In the 19th minute of the second half, Rubik's cross, which received Lee Chung-yong's pass, aimed for Heo Yul, who was located on the other side, but the ball couldn't reach his toes.

Ulsan's offensive continued. In the 23rd minute of the second half, Heo Yul delivered a cross from Um Won-sang through the header pass to the center. Jung Woo-young finished it, but the shot was caught in defense. Ulsan, which wanted to chase, pulled out a secret move. In the 25th minute of the second half, Heo Yul was taken out and Malkong was put in.

However, Gwangju scored an additional goal to widen the gap. In the 30th minute of the second half, when Park In-hyuk's mid-range shot popped out against the post, he crossed it again from the left. Choi Kyung-rok, who rushed to the gate, pushed it in and scored an additional goal.

In the end, the game ended with Gwangju's 2-0 victory.

It's not over. The 9th place competition is the final round! Ulsan, Friedjohnson, Choi Kyung-rok Scores 2 points behind 10th-ranked Suwon by 0-2 loss to Gwangju
At the same time, the Pohang Steelers and Jeonbuk Hyundai moved away from 0-0 in a showdown at Pohang Steelyard. Pohang secured at least 4th place after Seoul lost the match between Seoul and Gimcheon earlier. Pohang has confirmed its advance to the Asian Champions League (ACLE) playoffs because Gimcheon cannot play in the Asian Champions League.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.