On the 28th, the commentary team calling the match between Ulsan Hyundai and Daejeon Hana Citizen kept saying “time is flying by”. The two teams literally battled tooth and nail, and the match ended in a 3-3 draw.
Ulsan drew 3-3 with Daejeon in the 15th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on April 28. Ulsan scored the first goal and then conceded three goals to Daejeon to go down 1-3. However, the ‘powerhouse’ fought back to take a point thanks to a multi-goal performance from In-Joo Gyu in the second half. Meanwhile, Daejeon looked to hand Ulsan another defeat with Leandro (1 goal, 2 assists) and Masa (2 goals), but they were unable to stop Injongyu in the second half.
The hosts were on course for their second seven-game winning streak of the season, but were stopped again by Daejeon. Daejeon had stood in Ulsan’s way in their opening seven-game winning streak, and the same picture was repeated in their meeting a month later. The draw keeps Ulsan at the top of the league with 38 points. There are 11 points separating them from second place.
The away team, Daejeon, once again looked like they had the big fish, but couldn’t hold off Inhaber Gyu in the second half. Daejeon remained winless in the league for the third time in three matches (1 draw, 2 losses). Daejeon is in fifth place in the league with 22 points (6 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses).
Daejeon opened the scoring in the first 안전놀이터 half. Anton attempted a header off a cross from Lee Jin-hyun in the 12th minute. It wasn’t quite on target and the ball went wide.
Eight minutes later, Ulsan had the first laugh. On a corner kick, Daejeon’s Kim Min-duk headed in an own goal. However, after the goal, Kim Young-kwon went down with an injury, and Daejeon did not miss the opportunity. Four minutes later, after receiving a pass from Thiago, Kim Hyun-woo attempted a mid-range shot, but the deflected ball fell in front of Leandro. Leandro calmly slotted the ball home with his right foot to equalize. Leandro’s second goal of the season.
In the 32nd minute, Leandro found the Ulsan defense again, this time with a kill pass. Moments later, Massa had a no-mark chance. Massa rattled the net with a powerful right-footed shot. Ten minutes later, Massa-Leandro shined again. After penetrating the right flank, Leandro sent in a low cross. Massa calmly took a touch on the quick ball and fooled Park Yong-woo with a neat turning move. Massa completed his hat-trick by sliding the ball home with his left foot right in front of Cho Hyun-woo. The home crowd was stunned into silence.
Ulsan came out all guns blazing in the second half, attacking through Bako, but Daejeon mixed in some appropriate fouls to break up Ulsan’s attacks.
In the ninth minute of the second half, Bako’s cross was headed in by Lee In-gyu, but Lee Chang-geun made a great save with his legs.
Ulsan head coach Hong Myung-bo brought on Lee Cheong-yong, Cho Hyun-taek, and Martin Adam in the second half to try and turn things around, and it seemed to pay off, especially in the 25th minute. Back-to-back passes from Bako and Ju In-gyu connected to Martin Adam. The striker wasted no time in rattling the net with a left-footed curling shot. Bako’s out-front pass, In Ju-gyu’s heel pass, and Martin Adam’s shot were all perfect. However, after a video assistant referee (VAR) review, the goal was disallowed for offside.
In the 30th minute, Martin Adam once again received a pass from Lee Min-kyu and attempted a left-footed shot, this time saved by Lee Chang-geun. However, two minutes later, they finally scored the winning goal. After a corner kick, Rubikson sent in a cross from a second ball situation. Lee In-gyu headed home a neat header from inside the box.
Martin Adam then had two chances to equalize, but in the 44th minute, the game was finally tied. This time, Martin Adam’s pass in the box was met with a neat left-footed shot that rattled the corner of the net. It was Ju In-gyu’s eighth goal of the season.
In stoppage time, Daejeon pushed forward with Leandro, but Kim Ki-hee made a series of tackles to stop him.
In the 49th minute, Lee Chung-yong set up Martin Adam with a crucial pass, but his shot was straight at Lee Chang-geun. A minute later, Daejeon went on the counterattack, but Lim Eun-soo’s shot was blocked by Cho Hyun-woo. The two teams had to settle for a point apiece after an entertaining match.