SEOUL, Ulsan Hyundai FC rallied past rivals Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 on Saturday, taking a crucial step toward ending their long title drought in the top South Korean football league.
Martin Adam netted two goals during stoppage in the second half for the dramatic victory in K League 1 action at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
Ulsan improved to 72 points, eight clear of Jeonbuk, with both teams having three matches left this season. Ulsan firmly control their own destiny and can clinch their first title since 2005 by winning one of their three remaining matches.
The championship celebration can come as early as Tuesday against Pohang Steelers.
“This was the most exciting match that I’ve ever coached,” said Ulsan head coach Hong Myung-bo, who has been at the helm since last year, and has previously coached South Korean national teams and Chinese club Hangzhou Greentown. He coached South Korea to bronze medals at the 2010 Asian Games and again at the 2012 Olympics.
“I think everyone here wanted that go-ahead goal. I’d like to thank our supporters for not giving up on us.”
Hong said tactics and strategies went out the window, and credited his players’ mental fortitude.
“Even when we were trailing late in the second half, our guys defended well and held their ground,” Hong said. “If we’d given up another goal, that would have spelled the end for us. It’s never easy to get a win like this against Jeonbuk. Our players have grown so much.”
As excited as he was, Hong said he will just enjoy the victory Saturday night and go back to the drawing board.
“We don’t have much time (until the next match),” Hong said. “We’ll be well prepared against Pohang.”
Jeonbuk drew first blood in the 33rd minute, with Mo Barrow, the Player of the Month for September, scoring with a volley from the goalmouth.
Song Min-kyu headed down a corner, and the ball bounced to unmarked Barrow, who made no mistake with the left-footed shot past goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo.
Midfielder Lee Chung-yong was guarding the goal line for Ulsan, but he couldn’t stop the shot, either.
Ulsan kept pushing for the equalizer, though Jeonbuk defenders blocked shooting lanes and kept their opponents at bay for long stretches.
Adam, the Hungarian international who had given Ulsan a jolt in recent weeks, came through off the bench.
In the 96th minute, Adam converted a penalty, awarded after a video review showed that a shot attempt went off the hand of Jeonbuk midfielder Ryu Jae-moon in the box.
Then three minutes later, Adam headed home a corner taken by Lee Gyu-sung to whip the crowd into a frenzy.
Jeonbuk are going for a record sixth consecutive championship, but they now must win all remaining matches and hope for some help from others.
Each of the past three titles by Jeonbuk came at the expense of Ulsan, who suffered maddening late-season collapses in those years but now appear on the verge of finally exorcising their demons.
Source: Yonhap News Agency