Battling Jeju denied by Ulsan

Jeju United 0-1 Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i

Jeju United’s injury depleted squad failed to cause an upset on Saturday afternoon as they went down 1-0 to Ulsan at a sun soaked Jeju Athletics Stadium.

It was a beautiful day for the first match of 2009 to have been played in Jeju City and a crowd of almost 4,000 turned up hoping to see United record their 300th ever win.

With a whole host of injuries, including those to influential players Kang Min Su and Kang Joon Woo, it was always going to be a difficult task, however Jeju can take pride in a spirited performance.

It was a pulsating first half which saw both sides throw caution to the wind as they attempted to break the deadlock. Ulsan sent cross after cross in to Jeju’s area hoping to take advantage of the makeshift defence, whilst Jeju relied largely on the attacking threat of new Brazilian signing Oveira.

Oveira should have scored half way through the first period when he shot over from 12 yards with just the goalkeeper to beat. Just moments later he was again in the heat of the action, being denied what appeared to be a clear penalty when he was brought down in the six yard box.

It was Ulsan who eventually broke the deadlock on 44 minutes when Almir tapped home a poorly defended cross from Oh Jang-Eun. Having played so well through the first half it was a devastating blow for Jeju right on half time.

With an important Asian Champions League match in Beijing on Wednesday to concentrate on, Ulsan spent much of the second half with ten men behind the ball, giving Jeju the lion’s share of possession.

Despite dominating the half, Jeju were unable to create any real chances and became increasingly frustrated by their inability to break through Ulsan’s resolute defence. Oveira again was the main threat, having a speculative 30 yard shot hit the crossbar, and again with just 10 minutes remaining having a goal disallowed for offside.

Coach Arther Bernardes will be concerned by his side’s inability to convert possession in to goal scoring chances but should take heart from a battling display against one of Korea’s top sides.

Jeju’s next chance to gain their 300th victory will take place in Seogwipo on Wednesday night when they entertain Gwangju Sangmu in the Peace Cup. Next up in the K-League is a difficult trip to Seongnam next Sunday.