Ulsan Hyundai head coach Hong Myung-bo talked about how his team overcame the after-effects of their previous defeat to Jeonbuk Hyundai to pull off the upset.
On the 6th, Ulsan defeated Suwon FC 3-1 in the 17th round of the Hana One Q K League 2023 at Suwon Sports Complex. League leaders Ulsan became the first team to surpass the 40-point mark, taking their tally to 41.
Ulsan conceded an early goal in the 16th minute through Yoon Beom-garam, but fought back with three second-half goals. Martin Adam levelled the scores in the 24th minute, before In-Joo Gyu put the game out of reach in the 42nd minute. Bako rattled the net in stoppage time to seal the win.안전놀이터
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Hong said, “It was a tough game. Our biggest problem was how to recover from the loss in the last game, and we conceded a goal in the first half. I said that I hoped the after-effects would be limited to the first half, but we scored in the second half and won. I feel like we’re back on track. I want to thank the players for giving their best until the end,” he concluded.
“We’ve had some injuries and acclimatisation issues, but when we were preparing for this match, we knew Ataru would have a role to play. She played a crucial role in the goal, but it would have been great if she had scored a goal herself. It would have been a great confidence boost to score today. But he did a very good job,” he said.
The match also marked the retirement of Park Joo-ho. The 40-cap veteran played in Japan and Europe before returning to Korea for the 2018 season, playing three seasons with Ulsan before joining Suwon FC for the 2021 season. He announced his retirement in his third season with Suwon this year. He has 127 career K League appearances to his name.
“I didn’t know whether to congratulate him or say sorry after the game, but he asked me to congratulate him, so I did,” said Hong, who worked with Park in the national team. I don’t know what he’s going to do in the future, but I hope he does what he wants to do well. It’s been a long journey for him.”