Coach Kim Pan-gon of Ulsan, who drew the big picture in the first match of ACLE..."I didn't think about losing. I wanted to get a good result for the Yokohama expedition."

Coach Kim Pan-gon of Ulsan, who drew the big picture in the first match of ACLE..."I didn't think about losing. I wanted to get a good result for the Yokohama expedition."

Blog Article

Coach Kim Pan-gon said, "I had no intention of losing. I had no intention of starting well and continuing my schedule at AFC Champions League Elite.

Ulsan lost 0-1 at home to Kawasaki in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) East Asian League Stage in the 2024-25 season at 7 p.m. on the 18th at Munsu World Cup Stadium in Ulsan.

Ulsan, which was fully equipped with all its strength with Joo Min-gyu, Jung Woo-young, Kim Young-kwon, and Lee Myung-jae, who took a break in the aftermath of the A-match schedule, returned as starters, but they also struggled under pressure from Kawasaki. Not only did they not advance easily, but they also showed regret in their attack. Then, in the 9th minute of the second half, Kawasaki's side striker Marcino allowed the winning goal. Coach Kim Pan-gon used aggressive cards such as Yago, Ko Seung-beom, Ataru, Rubikshon, and Arabidze to inspire his offense, but failed to shake the net and lost.

After the match, Kim said, "There are fans who came to the stadium on holidays as well. I disappointed you because I failed to take care of both the content and the result. I am so sorry as a coach," adding, "We failed to play as we wanted in the first half." As we entered the second half, we tried to focus more on ourselves, but lost a point. There were also tee mistakes. We sought to rebound, but we showed our lackluster performance. It was our first match of the ACLE, but it was regrettable. We will make a good result in the next match."

As the locker room video was recently released, Kim Pan-gon emphasized strengthening the crown to players in the league. Then, what part did Kim emphasize for the Asian stage? "It's not an easy question. Ulsan, which is playing in the ACLE, is not just Ulsan, but rather the representative club of the K-League. We need to show good performances in the ACLE as well. Gwangju FC made a good start earlier, but today we didn't go as well as we wanted," Kim said.

Ulsan's atmosphere was revived in the second half. After Arabidze, Ataru, and Rubik'sson, Ko Seung-beom and Yago brought the atmosphere. Coach Kim Pan-gon said, "I thought Kawasaki would have a difficult situation in the second half. The first half was bad, but I thought we could lead the situation. Our mistake came out in the situation of losing points," and added, "It doesn't matter who starts first. It is important to make a mistake in the part where the loss should not have been made."

Since taking the helm of Ulsan, Kim has attempted aggressive tactics to score points in every game. The team lost 0-1 in this match, becoming the first scoreless match. "It is regrettable that I did not score a goal. I had one chance in the first half. I did not display good performance to fans. I am upset about that as a coach," Kim said. "I had several chances in the second half. I should have played ACLE in various good environments, but the players ended up playing in such a challenging environment."

Coach Kim Pan-gon then mentioned the "environment." Recently, the K-League has been steadily discussing the issue of grass at stadiums. Players have to carry out their schedules in a stadium where the dirt floor is exposed in a subtropical climate. "We have to endure it because it is a phenomenon caused by hot summer weather. We are also struggling to manage grass. I think it is an area that people cannot afford. I did not mean to criticize them. I want to play soccer in a better environment. I know that some people are trying their best. It is a pity."

The next ACLE event will be an away match against F. Marinos in Yokohama, which lost 3-7 to Gwangju FC. In the meantime, Ulsan will play Incheon United and Daejeon Hana Citizen. On the next away match in Yokohama, Kim said, "I was planning on the big picture of today's game. I didn't think I would lose today. I thought about getting a good result in today's home game to make it to the away game, but I think I will have to plan again and upload it to the away game after finishing the league schedule. All the teams participating in the ACLE will have a lot of worries about their tight schedule. I will do my best in the next game." 먹튀검증