Ulsan climbed to the top of the table with their win
The current K-League runner-ups kicked off their post-coronavirus campaign with an emphatic 4-0 win over Sangju Sangmu at the Ulsan Munsu Stadium in Ulsan on Saturday.
Kim Do-hoon’s side were favourites to come out on top against Sangju, who are comprised of players serving their 20-month long mandatory military service in South Korea.
The Tigers handed a debut to marquee signing Lee Chung-yong, following his move from VfL Bochum in Germany during the close season.
The midfielder wasted no time in leaving his mark on the game, as he produced a sublime defence-splitting pass to find Junior Negrao, who dispatched a calm finish to give the hosts an early lead in the seventh minute.
Sangju were thunderstruck by the swift move and failed to recover from the early blow.
However, the military men enjoyed a brief spell of promise towards the end of the first half, when Ulsan shot-stopper Jo Hyeon-woo was called into action twice.
First, he made a weak clearance that fell cheaply for Song Seung-min, who unleashed a shot that was well caught by the Korean international. A few minutes later, Jin Seong-uk latched on to a weak back pass and made a run through on goal, as Hyeon-woo intervened yet again with a timely clearance.
Kim Tae-wan’s visitors were made to rue their missed chances just before the half-time interval, when Ulsan doubled their lead from a penalty.
The hosts produced a textbook counterattack against the run of play in the 43rd minute and Sangju defender Bae Jae-woo conceded a penalty after pulling down Kim In-sung inside the penalty area.
The defender was booked for his offence and Negrao, who stepped up to take the penalty, bagged his brace by sending the goalkeeper the wrong way with another calm finish.
Ulsan built on their strong first half performance after the interval and was rewarded yet again for some fine attacking football. Negrao turned provider in the 51st minute, when he found Lee Sang-heon with a simple pass to find the back of the net after a swift team move.
Sangju continued to struggled inside the final third, as they failed to make the best use of possession for the majority of the game.
The hosts delivered the killer blow in sensational fashion in the 75th minute, when Yoon Bit-garam struck a thunderous effort from outside the penalty area, as the ball flew into the far corner, beyond the outstretched arm of Hwang Byeong-keun in goal for Sangju.
Ulsan moved to the top of the table, courtesy of their huge win, and will next face Suwon Bluewings away from home. Sangju, on the other hand, lock horns with Gangwon FC at home next weekend.
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