Ulsan extend K League 1 lead with victory over rival club

Two-time champions Ulsan HD FC extended their lead at the top of the K League 1 table with a come-from-behind win over second-place Gimcheon Sangmu FC on Sunday.

Yago Cariello scored the tiebreaking goal in the 80th minute to lift Ulsan to a 2-1 victory at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in the teams' final match of the first phase of the season.

With 33 matches in the books, the 12 teams have been split into two tiers: the top six in Final A and the bottom six in Final B. They will play five more matches within their groups to conclude the season.

The victory moved Ulsan to 61 points, now five points clear of Gimcheon.

Ulsan are trying to become just the third team in K League history to capture three consecutive titles.

Ulsan midfielder Kim Ji-hyun found the woodwork in the third minute and had a goal wiped out on an offside ruling about 14 minutes later. Gimcheon then took the lead in the 21st minute when Mo Jae-hyeon found the bottom of the net, past goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo.

Gimcheon remained in control of the match in the second half, but Ulsan midfielder Ko Seung-beom scored the equalizer against the run of play in the 75th minute, as he headed home a cross by Lee Myung-jae.

Yago then netted the winner five minutes later, converting a pass from Ataru Esaka.

Ulsan head coach Kim Pan-gon praised his players for overcoming early adversity.

"I think we proved that we deserve to be in first place," Kim said. "We've been playing the type of football that can get fans excited, with a lot of lead changes. We're taking risks to play an aggressive brand of football. I think passive playing is in decline in modern football."

Chung Jung-yong, Gimcheon's head coach, said, "Our goal is to chase down Ulsan until the end. We won't give up our fight."

In other matches Sunday, Gangwon FC defeated Incheon United 3-1 to remain in third place at 55 points. Incheon are stuck in last place with 32 points.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors saw their six-match undefeated run come to an end in a 4-3 loss to Daegu FC. The two teams traded places in the table, with Jeonbuk falling to 10th place at 37 points, one back of Daegu.

Jeonbuk, the nine-time champions, are trying to avoid relegation to the second-tier K League 2. At the end of the season, the last-place club in the K League 1 will be directly relegated to the K League 2. The 10th- and 11th-ranked teams must survive playoffs against K League 2 opponents to stay in the top competition for 2025.