Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo, who lost but fought well, “must go back with 1 win”

Although he lost, he preserved his pride with his high-level performance. Ulsan Hyundai, the winner of the Asian Champions League, lost to North and Central America’s strongest Tigress UANL (Mexico).

Ulsan lost 1-2 to Tigres in the opening game of the 2020 International Football Federation (FIFA) Club World Cup (Six-finals) that ended at Ahmedi Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar on the 5th. Ulsan will play the 5-6th place match at midnight on the 7th with the defeated team against Al Duhail (Qatar)-Al Ahli (Egypt).

In this game, which received attention as the official game debut of coach Hong Myung-bo, Ulsan drew attention with a structured game operation focused on short passes. With playmaker Yun Bitgaram as the center, a path walk that freely travels between the side and the Jungwon, leading the flow on par with Tigres.

Ulsan has not much power loss. Among the main axis members such as Lee Cheong-yong, Go Myung-jin, and Hong-cheol, the injured could not join the entry. There are also vacant seats created by veterans’ transfers such as Shin Jin-ho (Pohang), Lee Geun-ho (Daegu), Park Ju-ho (Suwon FC), and Jeong Dong-ho (Suwon FC).

Director Hong Myung-bo started the 4-2-3-1 formation by boldly appointing the new face he recruited from the transfer market this winter. In the forefront, one-top striker Kim Ji-hyun, who was recruited from Gangwon-do, was set up, and in the second line, Kim In-seong-Yun Bitgaram and Lee Dong-jun, brought from Busan, were appointed. Shin Hyung-min, who was brought from Jeonbuk along with Won Doo-jae, was appointed as a defensive midfielder in the 3rd line, and the four back consisted of Seol Young-woo, Bliss, Kim Ki-hee and Kim Tae-hwan. Jo Hyun-woo came out as a goalkeeper.

Ulsan scored the opening goal and succeeded in seizing the atmosphere at the beginning. In the 24th minute set-piece situation in the first half, Kim Ki-hee, who participated in the attack from Yun Bit Garam’s corner kick, jumped into the near post and turned it back with his head, shaking the net.

Afterwards, Tigres scored two goals with leading striker Andre-Pierre Gignac. Gignac, who received a header pass in a corner kick situation in the second half of the 37th minute, shook Ulsan’s goal net with a right-footed shot after digging into the front of the danger area.

In the extra time in the first half, a penalty kick was added to the goal. The ball touched Kim Ki-hee’s arm, who was competing with Gignac while fighting for an aerial ball at Ulsan Munjeon, and a penalty kick was decided through VAR (video reading). Gignac finished off as the kicker with a calm shot.

In the second half, Ulsan took the lead in the overall trend and counterattacked. In the 12th minute of the second half, Bitgaram Yun made a picturesque goal. After trapping the ball from the rear with the chest once, it was finished with a colorful scissors kick. However, it was confirmed that the knee was slightly ahead of the opponent’s defender when Yun Bitgaram received the ball, and was judged offside.

Manager Hong Myung-bo changed the game flow through replacement cards starting with Kim Seong-jun in the 20th minute of the second half. Lucas Hinter Control, Kang Yun-gu, and other attack resources were put in line, but he couldn’t score additional goals.

After the game, coach Hong said, “Our players did better than expected. After this competition, you have to prepare for the K-League, so you need to refine the organizational part a little more. I will do my best until the last match (5th-6th place match) so that I can get the goal of 1 win.”

Tigres, who beat Ulsan and finished in the quarterfinals, competes in the final with Brazilian strongman Paumeiras, who defeated Liberta Dores in the South American club competition.

Reporter Song Ji-hoon [email protected]