Ulsan HD is headed to the Korea Cup final for the first time in four years after beating arch-nemesis Gwangju FC.
Ulsan drew 2-2 with Gwangju FC in the home second leg of the 2024 Hana Bank Korea Cup semifinals at Ulsan Munsu Stadium on Monday.
Ulsan, which won the first leg 1-0 away on Nov. 21, punched its ticket to the final with a 3-2 aggregate score after the first two legs.On the day, Ulsan dominated the entire match against Gwangju, 바카라사이트 추천 which was missing most of its starters.
The first goal came in the 13th minute. Ulsan capitalized on a corner kick by Lee Myung-jae, and Lim Jong-yi finished the ball with a header that split the Gwangju goal.
However, Gwangju, who are always stronger when facing Ulsan, were not to be denied. Gwangju equalized in the second minute of the second half when substitute Oh Of-sung hit a thunderous mid-range shot that goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo was unable to stop.
The balance of the game tipped back in Ulsan’s favor seven minutes later. Ulsan took the lead when Mateusz calmly finished off a loose ball in the penalty box from national team member Lee Min-gyu.
Gwangju then tightened their laces again. Once again, Gwangju completed the multi-goal scoring with a shot after Ofunsung’s dribble. Needing one more goal, Gwangju gave it their all until the very end, but were unable to find an additional goal and had to accept a disappointing elimination.
Ulsan has ended their nemesis relationship.
Under former coach Hong Myung-bo, Ulsan had lost all four times they met Gwangju’s Lee Jung-hyo, and the two teams had a nemesis relationship.
However, when Hong Myung-bo left for the national soccer team and was replaced by Kim Pan-gon, the atmosphere changed in an instant.
Following a 1-0 victory in the first leg of the quarterfinals on April 21, Ulsan defeated Gwangju again four days later in the 28th round of the K League One, giving the team a satisfying record of three consecutive matches without a defeat (two wins and one draw) before the draw.
Ulsan, meanwhile, will be looking to reach the Korea Cup final for the first time in four years since 2020 and the first time in seven years since 2017.
