It was a perfect comeback. After returning from military service, Kim Min-joon led Ulsan HD to the Korea Cup (FA Cup) quarterfinals.
Ulsan defeated Incheon United 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Hana Bank Korea Cup on Sunday at Ulsan Munsu Stadium to reach the semifinals. In the 27th minute, right wing forward Kim Min-joon rattled the net with a sharp shot off a pass from captain Kim Min-woo. Ulsan is looking to return to the top flight for the first time since 2017.
Coincidentally, it was a meeting of two teams with ‘acting’ coaches. Ulsan is led by head coach Lee Kyung-soo, who took over from Hong Myung-bo, who left to take charge of the national team, while Incheon is led by Byun Jae-seop after the resignation of 토토사이트 Cho Sung-hwan (Busan IPark).
The atmosphere of the teams was similar. The turbulent atmosphere after the departure of the head coach has been somewhat calmed by the recent good results in the league. Ulsan snapped a three-match winless streak (1-2) with a 1-0 victory over FC Seoul in the 23rd round of the K League 1, Lee’s first game in charge, while Incheon beat Gwangju FC to end a nine-match winless streak (5-4). With Byun in charge, Incheon was unbeaten in two games (W1 D1 L1).
The bench choices were the same. The team rotated heavily given the tight schedule and harsh weather conditions. Ulsan, looking for their third straight K League 1 title, brought in Hwang Seok-ho, who returned from injury, Kim Min-joon, a retired player, and new foreign striker Yago. Incheon, desperate to escape the bottom half of the table, also fielded a secondary lineup that included a number of 2000s-born players.
Still, the difference in strength and weight was evident. The two teams were evenly matched in the league this season, but the home team had the upper hand on this day. They took the initiative with aggressive shots from the start. They kept knocking on the door. The returning Kim Min-joon took advantage of the opportunity.
Bringing back fond memories of his 1-goal, 1-assist performance in a 3-2 victory over France in the 5th-8th place playoff against France at the 2019 Summer Universiade in Naples in July 2019, Kim gave Ulsan a fresh start for 61 minutes until he was replaced by Japanese midfielder Ataru in the 16th minute of the second half.
Kim’s return to Ulsan is a welcome one. He was a key player in Gimcheon Commerce’s promotion to K League 1 last season. With six goals and four assists in 28 games in K League 2 and one goal and one assist in the first half of this year (12 games), his experience is a huge boost for a team looking to win their third straight league title. Ulsan will need an even performance from the squad, especially with a busy second half of the season ahead of them as they look to qualify for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE) in 2024-2025.
“I’m always proud to be a part of Ulsan,” said Kim Min-jun after the game, as he entered the starting lineup with a fiery finish. I will show more growth,” he said after the game and smiled broadly.