Incheon United pulled off the upset of a lifetime by upsetting ‘absolute favorites’ Ulsan Hyundai in enemy territory.
Incheon won 2-1 away to Ulsan in the 22nd round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at the Ulsan World Cup Stadium on Wednesday, with Kim Bosup scoring the opening goal and Hernandez scoring a theater finish. Ulsan, who had won six games in a row twice this season, saw their five-game winning streak come to a halt.
Incheon, which had gone 13 games without a win against Ulsan (5-0-8), finally broke the jinx. Ulsan suffered its first home loss in the K League this season.
With the three valuable points, Incheon moved to 27 points. They remain in ninth place, but have kept their hopes alive for a mid-table finish. Ulsan suffered its third loss of the season (17W2D). With 53 points, they remain untouched at the top of the table.
Ulsan head coach Hong Myung-bo deployed a 4-2-3-1 system. Martin Adam started up top, with Bako, Ataru, and Kang Yoon-Koo in the second line. Boyanich and Lee Kyu-sung lined up in the defensive midfield, while Lee Myung-jae, Kim Young-kwon, Jeong Seung-hyun, and Seol Young-woo were in charge of the defense. Cho Hyun-woo was in goal.
Incheon head coach Cho Sung-hwan deployed a 3-4-3. Chun Sung-hoon was the center of the defense, flanked by Kim Bo-seob and Kim Min-seok. In the back line were Min Kyung-hyun Kim Do-hyuk Moon Ji-hwan Jung Dong-yoon. Delbridge, Kim Dong-min, and Kim Yeon-soo formed the back three, while Kim Dong-heon wore the goalkeeping gloves. Mugosa, who returned to Incheon, was not included in the roster.
With Hernandez, Gerso, Mpoko, and Lee Myung-joo starting on the bench, Incheon predictably played an extreme two-line defense. The game was then played on the counterattack.
Ulsan struggled to break through Incheon’s net defense. The first shot didn’t come until the 18th minute. Martin Adam received a smart pass from Bojanic and fired a left-footed shot from the left side of the goal area. However, the ball hit the opposing goalkeeper’s hands and hit the crossbar. 메이저놀이터
In the 25th minute, Ulsan had another chance off a corner kick. However, Jeong Seung-hyun’s header and Ataru’s subsequent shots were blocked.
At the start of the second half, Hong took off Kang Yoon-koo and Bojanic and brought on Lee Chung-yong and Kim Min-hyuk. At the start of the second half, Ulsan had another chance. However, Ataru’s selfless pass was met by Bako with a right-footed shot, but the ball went wide of the goal.
Incheon lost Kim Min-seok to injury in the sixth minute of the second half. Hernandez filled the void. In the 10th minute of the second half, the first goal finally came for Incheon. After receiving a pass from Hernandez, Kim Bo-seop caught Cho Hyun-woo off guard with a quick right-footed shot. It was Kim’s third goal in the league.