After winning back-to-back professional soccer K League 1 titles in the 2023 season, Ulsan Hyundai now has its sights set on dominating Asia. Ulsan has been a dominant force in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL), winning the competition twice in 2012 (10 wins, 2 draws) and 2020 (9 wins, 1 draw). However, Ulsan’s dreams of winning the ACL for the first time in three years have a tough road ahead of them. It’s Malaysia’s Johor. Last year’s group stage was held in Johor in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Ulsan suffered a heartbreaking 1-2 defeat at the hands of the home team, Johor Darul Taqzim, in the final group game.토토사이트

Johor’s nightmare continued this year. Ulsan, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, lost 1-2 against Johor Darul Taqzim in the fourth match of Group I of the 2023-2024 ACL on July 7 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor, Malaysia. The result leaves Ulsan in second place in the group (6-2W, 2-2D), with a six-point gap to Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale (12-4W, 6-2D) at the top of the group and a chance to qualify for the round of 16.

Johor (W6-2 D2-L2) has the same number of points as Ulsan, but is third on goal difference. In the ACL East Asia Group Stage, the first-place team from each group and the best three second-place teams advance to the Round of 16.

“The players tried their best, but we didn’t win, so the remaining games are important,” said Hong Myung-bo after the game. “If we don’t grow in this situation, it could be bad next year or anytime.

Meanwhile, Cho Sung-hwan’s Incheon also lost 1-3 in their fourth Group G match against Shandong Taishan (China). Incheon slipped to third place in the group with two wins and two losses (six points) and are in danger of being eliminated.