“I think the firepower is stronger than last year, but I think the other aspects are similar,” Ulsan HD head coach Hong Myung-bo said of his side’s first opponent of the season, Jeonbuk Hyundai.
“I feel that the offense itself is stronger because new players have been brought in,” Hong said at a press conference following the 1-1 draw in the first leg of the 2023-24 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League quarterfinal at Jeonju World Cup Stadium on Friday, “but I didn’t feel anything special in terms of play compared to last year.”
On the day, Jeonbuk started Thiago, a transfer from Daejeon Hana Citizens, alongside Song Min-kyu in the front two, with Moon Sun-min and Lee Dong-joon on either side. Han Kyo-won, Ahn Hyun-beom, and Vinicius also came on as substitutes to add to Jeonbuk’s firepower. “I feel like we’re stronger in that aspect because we have individual skills, but I didn’t feel anything special in other aspects,” Hong said.
Ulsan fell behind early, conceding a goal in the fourth minute of the first half, but were saved from defeat by Lee Myung-jae’s celestial equalizer in the 32nd minute. “We conceded too quickly, so the players didn’t play well together, but I think we finished the first half well and came out in the second half and showed a much better performance than in the first half,” said Hong. “We went into the second leg with a draw, and I’m grateful to the players for not giving up. I’m grateful that the players didn’t give up and played until the end.”
“There’s no particular background,” he said of the all-domestic starting lineup. It was just because the players who are in (the starting lineup) are better than the ones who are out there,” he said, adding, “I think there are bound to be a lot of mistakes in the first half today. They’re a strong team, they’re on their home turf. I think the players were not confident even though we talked about it before the game,” he added.
The draw also throws the race for a spot in the Federation Internationale de Football Association’s Club World Cup into doubt. The Club World Cup, which will be held in the United States next year, is a 32-team tournament that will be held every four years. It’s a tournament with a huge prize pool for those who qualify. The AFC has been allocated four Club World Cup tickets. Two of these have already been secured by 2021 AFC Champions League winners Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) and 2022 winners Urawa Reds (Japan).
The remaining two spots will go to the winners of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League and the highest-placed team in the Confederation Rankings in each of the last four years, excluding the ACL 토토 winners. Jeonbuk and Ulsan are battling it out in the Federation standings. The draw puts Jeonbuk on 80 points and Ulsan on 72 points. Each team earns three points for a win and one point for a draw, with an additional three points for advancing to the next round.
Head coach Hong Myung-bo said, “I think it’s a great motivation. We have one more game left. Of course, it’s a difficult position, but we will do our best until the end. “It’s not easy to play a big game like this after the opening match of the K-League. I think the fact that the players managed to get a 1-1 draw will give us a lot of strength for the next game.”
Ulsan and Jeonbuk will play the second leg of their quarterfinal tie at the Munsus Football Stadium in Ulsan on May 12. The winner of the second leg will advance to the quarterfinals, as the first leg was not decided. If Jeonbuk reaches the quarterfinals, they will qualify for the Club World Cup. If Ulsan advances, they will close the gap on Jeonbuk and improve their chances of qualifying for the Club World Cup.