K League in AFC Champions League Match Day 6 Recap

AFC Champions League Match Day 6 proved to be one of mixed fortunes for K League sides, with no wins recorded in ACL Elite. It also saw FC Seoul bid farewell to Jesse Lingard who was making his final appearance for the club.

AFC Champions League Elite

It was a winless match day for K League sides in ACL Elite. Ulsan HD suffered a 3-1 away loss to Machida Zelvia, in a match that saw former Horangi Oh Se-hun score the Japanese side's third goal. Ulsan found themselves 2-0 behind with just 21 minutes on the clock, and 3-0 down just two minutes into the second half. Um Won-sang linked up with Gustav Ludwigson for what was a consolation goal 10 minutes after the restart. Ulsan remain in the top eight, the qualification places for the knockouts, but only just, holding a one-point lead over ninth.

Gangwon FC picked up what will be seen as the pick of the results for K League sides in Match Day 6, earning a 2-2 draw away to Thai giants Buriram United. Mo Jae-hyun's close-range effort gave the Bears a 33rd-minute lead, only for former Daejeon and Bluewings centre back Ko Myeong-seok to level on 58 minutes. Buriram took the lead on 65 through Mueanta before Kim Dae-won rescued a point with a 74th-minute penalty. Gangwon sit outside the top eight but by just a point.

In what was Jesse Lingard's final match for FC Seoul, the former England international marked the occasion with a goal in a 1-1 draw with Melbourne City. Lingard gave Seoul the lead on 31 minutes, but Kanamori's goal on 74 minutes meant the spoils were shared. Seoul sit fifth, but only two points clear of ninth

AFC Champions League Two

A strong and experienced Pohang Steelers squad travelled to the Philippines for the Group H closer. In a game that could be Ki Sung-yueng's last ever before retiring, a 12-minute cameo off the bench, Pohang earned a 1-0 away win courtesy of a goal from An Jae-jun 17 minutes in. After a year of injury struggles, An's match-winner at least ended 2025 on a high for him and for the Steelers who will now await the draw for the Round of 16. Tampines Rovers beat BG Pathum United 2-0 in the other Group H match, meaning that the Steelers finished as group runners-up.