"Should I laugh or cry" Ulsan, the pain of forced rotation..."ACLE eliminated." Director Kim Pan Gon said, "Sorry I couldn't expect it."
"Should I laugh or cry" Ulsan, the pain of forced rotation..."ACLE eliminated." Director Kim Pan Gon said, "Sorry I couldn't expect it."
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The harsh fate has already been determined. Ulsan HD has been eliminated from the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE), which was introduced for the first time in the 2024-2025 season. It has been a challenging journey. In December last year, the team secured its first win after losing five games, but it has already advanced to the round of 16 best teams on its own.
Ulsan lost to Buriram United (Thailand) 1-2 in an away match on Wednesday, eliminating all potential cases. The top 24 Asian teams (East Asia 12 and West Asia 12) will participate in the ACLE. Each team will have four home and away matches, for a total of eight matches. Eight of the 12 East Asian teams will advance to the round of 16. Although the team's power has been shut down, the final match of the league stage is left. Ulsan will face Shandong Taishan (China) at Munsu Football Stadium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
In Shandong Province led by head coach Choi Kang-hee, Baco from Ulsan who shared the first championship in 17 years and Zeka from Daegu and Pohang are active players. There is a long way to go, too. With 10 points (three wins, one draw and three losses), Shandong is expected to stage all-out war to advance to the round of 16. In contrast, although it is a humiliation of the K League 1 champion, Ulsan does not have to push itself too hard. It is bittersweet, but it has no choice but to pull out the "forced rotation" card.
Following the away match at Buriram, Ulsan had its opening match against FC Anyang in the K League 1 of the 2025 season. Though it dominated the match, it allowed a header and a theater goal to Mota right before the end of the second half, losing 0-1. The pain was huge. However, it was an opportunity to recheck the match because the team's constitution improved significantly in the "stove league." At the match against Anyang, as many as nine players, including Heo Yul, Lee Hee-kyun, Lee Jin-hyeon, Kang Sang-woo, Signature Hall, Yoon Jong-gyu, Moon Jeong-in, Yoon Jae-seok, and Venezuela's active national team, showed their first performance to Ulsan's home fans.
Lee said, "Many fans gave me great strength at the opening match with cheering that I did not feel in Korea. I was disappointed that I could not produce a result at the match against Anyang. I also think that players must make a decision when they have a chance. I want to present the fans with a victory." Lacava also said, "I feel sorry and sorry for the fans, but it is a long time ago. We need to focus on the upcoming games. I want to contribute to the team through goals and help. I will give the fans a victory."
Ulsan is aiming for the second round of the K League 1 against the Daejeon Hana Citizen, which will take place in an away match on Sunday, rather than the match against Shandong. Instead of letting them rest, the team plans to hire various players to check their conditions and refine their teamwork.
"Once again, I would like to express my regret to Ulsan fans that we did not meet their expectations in the ACLE," Ulsan coach Kim Pan-gon said on Wednesday, a day before the showdown. "We cannot afford to make all-out efforts even though it is our last home game. We also have a K-League schedule," he said. "However, we will do our best to bring out the best performance and results no matter who plays in the upcoming ACLE. We will try our best to show good performance in the new ACLE." 메이저사이트
Moon Jung-in, who is guarding the goal instead of Cho Hyun-woo, who was placed on the operating table due to a broken nose, said, "I was burdened and nervous because I had to fill the vacancy of my respected Hyun-woo. I also need to overcome the pressure if I want to continue to play on the ground in my Ulsan uniform. Hyun-woo gave me advice to be confident in what I was doing because you are the best."