adminProfessional soccer’s Jeju United suffered a 1-5 defeat at home to Ulsan, leaving the club’s chances of qualifying for the Asian Champions League in doubt.
On June 10, Jeju conceded a penalty in the 29th minute of the first leg of their 2023 Hana One Q K League 1 18th Round away match against Ulsan Hyundai at Munsu Stadium in Ulsan, South Korea. After conceding the first goal, Jeju continued to play poorly, conceding a header goal to new signing Wataru in the sixth minute of the second half, and an additional goal to Uhm Won-sang two minutes later, making the score 0-3. It was a one-sided affair, and Jeju conceded another goal to their former teammate Lee In-jong-kyu, who was the main striker for Jeju last season, to extend their lead to four points.
With the score at 0-4, Jeju showed great determination in the 24th minute of the second half when Yuri Jonathan capitalized on a mistake by opposing midfielder Lee Kyu-sung to score the winning goal. The team did not give up and played hard until the end, but they were unable to narrow the gap further and conceded the second goal of the day to Bako in extra time, resulting in a 1-5 defeat.
Jeju had been playing very well in April and May and looked to be very close to qualifying for the Asian Champions League, but as soon as June rolled around, the loss of ace Lee Chang-min to military service and the increased pressure on the players who had lost their mainstay plummeted their form, leaving them with just one point from their first three games of the month, making it virtually impossible to qualify for the Asian Champions League. 스포츠토토
Although the team’s chances of qualifying for the Asian Champions League are slim, Jeju will need to find a replacement for Lee Chang-min’s playmaking and kicking ability in order to stay afloat for the rest of the season. In order to ease the pressure on the existing players, it will be important to make a big splash in the transfer market to bring in an ace for the team. Along with this, the team should also try to strengthen the midfield through the existing players to increase the energy of the team to form a more solid squad.