FC Seoul 1-2 Ulsan Hyundai Recap: Late Drama As Ulsan Continue Their 100% Record

As we enter the third round of the 2023 K League 1, FC Seoul welcomed Ulsan Hyundai to the Seoul World Cup Stadium. The two teams were the only two sides left with a 100% record. A win for FC Seoul would have certainly confirmed their intentions to take this year's K League by force. A win for Ulsan would continue to forward their march to retain the K League title.

This is the first time this season the two sides met. In past games, it was Ulsan who were the dominant side with eight wins and two draws. Michael Redmond was at the game to explain what happened. 

Line Up 

For FC Seoul, it was a 4-4-2 formation going into this game. Ahn Ik-soo chose a partnership of Iljutcenko and Hwang Ui-jo up top. Lee Sang-hyub and Na Sang-ho took the wings and the middle was manned by Ki Sung-yeung and Palocevic. The defence saw Kim Joo-sung and Osmar centre back, with Ki Jin-ya and Lee Tae-Seok on either side of them and Choi Cheol-won in goal. 

For Ulsan, Hong Myeong-bo went with a 4-2-3-1 formation. It was Joo Min-kyun as a solo striker with Eom Wong-sang, Jang See-young, and Qazaishvili supporting. Park Yong-woo and Lee Kyu-seong were in defensive midfield positions with a back four of Seol Young-woo, Kim Tae-hwan, Jung Seoung-hyeon, and Kim Young-gwon. Choi Hyun-woo was between the sticks. 

First Half

The game saw a healthy attendance of 20,549 as the two teams walked out for kick off. The first few minutes of the game saw both sides having time on the ball and pushing it into dangerous positions, however, they were unsuccessful in forming any real goal-scoring opportunities. It was FC Seoul who had the majority of the possession at first and looked like the team more likely to strike. 

It was then Ulsan with the first real chance in the eighth minute as Qazaishili came running towards Choi Cheol-won. His shot was blocked and FC Seoul retained possession. There were a couple of Seoul defensive errors which looked to open the game for Ulsan, however, they could not capitalize on those mistakes. 

Chances came from both sides throughout the game. 

Tackles started to come from both sides just after the fifteen-minute mark as Ulsan started to take control of the game. Ulsan made some defensive errors in the 22nd minute as Choi Hyun-woo failed to control a past back which resulted in a Seoul corner. The two sides were rather cautious in their play and stuck to their formations to avoid any open pockets on the pitch. 

Ulsan then made the first change of the game as Ataru replaced Jang Si-yeong. The 27th minute saw another chance as Ki Sung-yueng took a shot which fell right to Choi Hyun-woo. It was then Ulsan's chance as another defensive error saw Ataru claim the ball and run towards the box. The Japanese player slipped and that ended the chance. 

The remainder of the half saw small chances from both sides. Neither team were able to get on the scoresheet. The first half ended in a stalemate with both sides still yet to be clinical in their chances. 

Second Half 

It took FC Seoul six minutes after the restart to draw first blood. A pass to Na Sang-ho saw him a lot of time, he took control of the ball and slot it past Choi Hyun-woo. It looked as if FC Seoul found a way to breakdown Ulsan. However, only three minutes Ulsan responded with a Joo Min-kyu goal. Two goals in three minutes certainly woke up both sets of fans. 

There was then another chance for Ulsan as Qazaishili found himself one on one again. A soft shot from the Georgian resulted in easy pickings for Choi Cheol-won. Seoul made a change in the 63rd minute as Park Dong-jin came on for  Iljutcenko. Park made an instant impact trying to cross the ball into the box and won Seoul a corner. Ulsan then made their second change as Ludwigson come on for Qazaishili. 

Lee Chang-young won the game for Ulsan Hyundai against FC Seoul.

The game started to open up for both sides as more space became available and more shots started to come from the two teams. Both sets of fans continued to cheer as both Seoul and Ulsan looked for the winner. The 74th minute saw two booking  as Ulsan's Park Yong-woo and Seoul's Kim Jin-ya were put into the book. 

Seoul tried to make changes to win the game, bringing on Park Su-il and Willyan for Hwang Ui-jo and Na Sang-ho. Ulsan then responded with bringing on Martin Adam and Ju Hyeon-taek for Joo Min-kyu and Eom Won-sang. 

Calamity then insued in the 88th minute as Kim Joo-sung passed the ball back to Choi Cheol-won who then picked up the ball. This resulted in an indirect freekick for Usan. Adam and Esaka were quick to spot this with Esaka picking up the ball and passing it to Adam. Adam's shot saw saved but the follow up byT Lee Chung-yong put the visitors ahead. Fc Seoul players surrounded the refereeing in protest, but the goal stood. 

There was five additional minutes of injury time to the game for Seoul to try and pull it square, however it wasn't to be and the visitors claimed all three points. 

Final Thoughts

In what was a slow first half, the game really opened up in the 45 minutes with three goals. Seoul will feel hard done by with such a error to concede what was the winning goal. That goal ends Seoul's undefeated run of two games. For Usan, that is their third win in a row and are the only team in the K League now with a 100% record. 

It looked as if a point a piece was fair for the two sides, but Ulsan really showed their quick thinking and snatched it at the end. Next up for FC Seoul is a trip to away to face Jeju United. For Ulsan,  They will play their first home game of the season as they welcome Suwon FC to the Munsu stadium.