Ulsan won the first leg of their 2023-24 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Yokohama 1-0 on Sunday at the Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, South Korea, thanks to an early goal from "Tokyo Ri" Lee Dong-kyung.
Ulsan, who had beaten Banfore Kofu and Jeonbuk Hyundai University in the knockout stages of the tournament, was able to get the better of Yokohama at home against the finalists. Ulsan will travel to Yokohama a week later on April 24 for the second leg of the quarterfinals.
The win also secured Ulsan's spot in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, ahead of Jeonbuk Hyundai.
The home team, Ulsan, lined up in a 4-3-3. Cho Hyun-woo was in goal, with Lee Myung-jae, Kim Young-kwon, Hwang Seok-ho, and Seol Young-woo in defense. Lee Dong-Kyung, Lee Kyu-Sung, and Ko Seung-Beom combined in the midfield, while Rubikson, In-Jin-Gyu, and Uhm Won-Sang were up front to target Yokohama's goal.
Yokohama countered with a 4-3-3 formation. William Pope donned the goalkeeper's gloves, while Watanabe Daiki, Matsubara Ken, Kamijima Takumi and Hatanaka Shinnosuke lined up in the back four. Keigo Sakakibara, Asahi Uenaka and Jun Amano combined in midfield, while Andersson Lopes, Jan Mateusz and Ryo Miyauchi formed the front three.
Yokohama was slightly more dominant in the match. They pounded the Ulsan goal with a whopping 18 shots on goal, but Ulsan held on for the full 90 minutes, and Lee Dong-kyung's goal in the 19th minute sealed the win.
In the post-match press conference, head coach Hong Myung-bo said, "I'm happy to win. I'm happy that we were able to secure a ticket to represent Korea at the inaugural Club World Cup. I think it's a 스포츠토토 great gift for the players, the club and the fans."
Ulsan's best player so far this season has been Lee Dong-kyung. In March, Lee scored four goals and provided two assists in four games, earning him the most offensive points in the K League 1 and earning him the Player of the Month award. In April, he was in peak form, scoring goals in two consecutive games against Suwon FC and Gangwon FC.
However, Lee is about to enlist in the military. In a few months, he'll have to return to Gimcheon Commerce.
"It's a shame," Hong said. We parted ways in a good state, both for me and the team. I think this is the quality and ability of Lee Dong-kyung." "I had a hard time in Europe, but I don't think there is a time that is not valuable wherever I was, and I think I am where I am now because I experienced that time well," he said.
"It's unfortunate for the team, but I'm very grateful for what she did for the team until the end, not only for me, but also for the players," he added.
"We haven't talked about it specifically, but for the Japan (away) game, we'll be accompanying him," said Lee, who will be traveling with the team to Yokohama.
Before the match and in the first six minutes of the match, a memorial ceremony was held for legend Yoo Sang-chul. "I knew about the ceremony before the game," Hong said. I think it was a beautiful scene. I'm grateful to the two clubs for organizing such a ceremony, even though I met Yokohama on an important occasion." He thanked the two clubs for organizing the memorial service for the late legend.
