Ulsan cruise past Kofu to reach Champions League quarterfinals

Ulsan HD beat Ventforet Kofu 2-1 in the second leg of the round of 16 of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League on Wednesday, reaching the quarterfinals with a huge 5-1 win on aggregate.

Ulsan HD's Joo Min-kyu, second from right, celebrates with his teammates during a 2023-24 AFC Champions League round of 16 match against Ventforet Kofu at JIT Recycle Ink Stadium in Japan on Wednesday. [AFC]

Ulsan HD beat Ventforet Kofu 2-1 in the second leg of the round of 16 of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League on Wednesday, reaching the quarterfinals with a huge 5-1 win on aggregate.

Ulsan went into the match at JIT Recycle Ink Stadium in Japan with a 3-0 lead from the first leg on Feb. 15.

It only took Ulsan 11 minutes to stretch that lead, with Kim Ji-hyeon finding the back of the net from a counter attack.

Ulsan’s defense, however, started to look scrappy after defender Kim Ki-hee left the pitch due to injury in the 14th minute. The defense allowed multiple shots through the end of the first half, but goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo was there to the rescue.

Kofu put one back in the 88th minute with Kazhushi Mitsuhira scoring a header from a corner, but Ulsan had little reason for concern with a 4-1 aggregate lead.

Ulsan’s Joo Min-kyu scored in injury time to end the game at 2-1 for a 5-1 win on aggregate. The goal was Joo’s third against Kofu, having scored a double in the first leg.

The victory puts Ulsan up against fellow K League 1 team Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the quarterfinals. For Jeonbuk, it will be another K League derby in the knockout stage, having beaten the Pohang Steelers 3-1 in the round of 16.

Ulsan’s successful run in the Champions League comes despite failing to dominate in the group stage like they did in the K League last year — during which the club won the league title for their first-ever title defense — recording three wins, one draw and two losses to finish as Group I runners-up.

Kofu, on the other hand, reached the knockout stage as Group H winners.

In the Champions League, the 10 group winners and three best runners-up from each region — east Asia and west Asia — reach the round of 16.

Winning the continental tournament this season will bring Ulsan’s number of Champions League titles to three, having previously won in 2012 and 2020.

Ulsan manager Hong Myung-bo is the first-ever manager to defend the K League title in the club's history, but he is yet to win the Champions League with the team.

Wednesday’s match was Ulsan’s last tune-up game before the 2024 K League 1, which begins on March 1. Ulsan will play their first league match against last season’s league runners-up Steelers at home on opening day.

Ulsan will then be back in Champions League action on March 5, with the first leg of the quarterfinals against Jeonbuk taking place at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla, followed by the second leg in Ulsan on March 12.

Jeonbuk also reached the knockout stage as one of the best runners-up, but improvements in their performance were visible in the round of 16 series, during which new signees like Kim Tae-hwan and Tiago Orobo played an effective role in dominating the Steelers.

The 2023-24 Champions League runs from September 2023 through May 2024, while the 2024 K League campaign runs from March to winter of the same calendar year.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]