Ulsan HD is embarking on a two-match away trip.
Ulsan will play against 6th place Gwangju at Gwangju World Cup Stadium on the 28th in the Hana Bank K League 1 2025 Round 16.
Three days after this match, on the 31st at 7 p.m., they will take on Jeonbuk Hyundai at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in K League 1 Round 17, also known as the Hyundai Derby.
Currently, Ulsan is in 3rd place with 8 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses, totaling 28 points. They plan to secure as many points as possible by winning both away matches, with the goal of participating in the highly anticipated FIFA Club World Cup.
The recent atmosphere is positive. Ulsan faced Gimcheon Sangmu at home in K League 1 Round 15 on the 24th, where they initially fell behind by two goals. However, in the 27th minute of the second half, a penalty kick awarded to Rakaba was converted by Eric with a clean right-footed shot, igniting a comeback.
After mounting relentless pressure, Ulsan's consolidation of play in the 42nd minute saw Eric connect with a header from Um Won-sang's pinpoint cross, bringing the match back to level terms. In the 44th minute, Park Min-seo's low left-footed cross was cleverly allowed to pass by Heo Yul, and Um Won-sang sealed the comeback with a swift left-footed shot. It was an astonishing 3-2 turnaround victory, reminiscent of a "drama," securing their fortress.
Ulsan remains unbeaten in six matches in May (4 wins, 2 draws, including 5 in K League 1 and one in the Korea Cup Round of 16). This unbeaten streak began with a dominant 3-0 victory over Gwangju at home on May 2nd. On that day, Lee Chung-yong ignited the scoring with a goal, assisted by Kang Sang-woo, followed by Rakaba (1 goal, 1 assist) and Eric adding further goals.
Under the leadership of Coach Kim Pan-gon, Ulsan has extended its unbeaten run against Gwangju to four matches (2 wins in K League 1 and 1 win, 1 draw in the Korea Cup semifinals). They aim to continue this momentum.
A player to watch is Um Won-sang. He scored the winning goal against Gimcheon, marking his first goal in 360 days since May 29th of last year against Incheon United. He intends to showcase an even stronger version of himself alongside Heo Yul and Lee Hee-kyun, both of whom graduated from the same school.
Um Won-sang said, "Personally, I didn't expect my silence to last this long. It was tough. I just tried to take it one day at a time. It wasn't easy for anyone, including (Lee) Hee-kyun and (Heo) Yul. Though not like me, both have shown good performances in recent matches. I think we need to do well together going forward."
Eric has also definitely come alive. He has been the driving force behind Ulsan's unbeaten streak in May, scoring an impressive 5 goals in 6 matches. He has captured the top scoring position among foreign players in K League 1 with 7 goals in 12 matches and ranks 3rd overall in the scoring chart. It's of great interest whether he can extend his goal streak in the match against Gwangju.
Coach Kim Pan-gon noted, "It was quite tough being down 0-2 against Gimcheon, but Rakaba, who came on in the second half, won a penalty kick and (Um) Won-sang's cross was excellent. Won-sang scored after about a year. Eric has the most goals among foreign players. There were many good developments. This positive energy is encouraging. We will demonstrate our strength in the upcoming matches against Gwangju and Jeonbuk and accelerate our preparations for the upcoming Club World Cup."
[OSEN]