Ulsan Hyundai suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Malaysian giants Johor Darul Taqzim. Head coach Hong Myung-bo criticized his team for being too naïve in conceding a goal.

Ulsan lost 1-2 away to Johor in the fourth leg of their 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Group I match at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Baru, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on July 7 at 9 p.m. KST. After conceding a goal in the final minute of the first half, Ulsan equalized midway through the second half through Ataru, but fell behind again just before full-time.

With the win, Ulsan finished the group stage with two wins and two losses, but remained in second place behind Kawasaki. Johor also improved to 2-2 with a win, but Ulsan had the advantage on goal difference.

Speaking at the official post-match press conference, head coach Hong Myung-bo said, “The result was disappointing and there were some things that didn’t go well as a whole. The team as a whole struggled in that situation, and there are some things that are disappointing about the conceded goals. The players tried their best, but we didn’t win, so the remaining games are important. We will find out what went wrong today and reorganize well,” said Ulsan’s head coach.

The loss was Ulsan’s third straight against Johor, following two defeats there last season. When asked by a local reporter what was difficult about the match, Hong Myung-bo said, “Compared to the last two matches, this game was not as difficult for us to lose. We had a few chances in the second half, but we couldn’t capitalize. The most painful part is that we lost due to a count attack.” 토토사이트

When asked if there was a lapse in concentration after securing the K League title, he replied, “Of course, it was expected of us, but I told the players that we need to move beyond this to grow. If we don’t grow in this situation, we could fall at any time, whether it’s next year or the year after. It’s a shame,” he said.

Ulsan came out aggressively in the final minutes of the game, when the score was tied 1-1, but they were caught on the counterattack. “We attacked with focus at the end and tried to win, but it was painful to concede on a count attack. If we had scored, I think we could have turned the game around.”

“In the end, we didn’t win, so we can say that everything can go wrong, but there are also things that went right. The goal was very naive,” he added.