Ulsan Hyundai ended Pohang Steelers' unbeaten run with a 2:0 victory in the K-League 1's twenty-second round. Both sides entered the fixture level on points — twenty-eight from nineteen games — sitting fourth and fifth in the table. The result shifts the balance slightly, though the gap remains razor-thin.
Seo Myung-Guan opened the scoring in the sixty-fifth minute, and Yago Cariello doubled the advantage two minutes later. Pohang had weathered the storm for nearly seventy minutes, but the visitors punished them from open play. That pair of goals changed the complexion of the match entirely.
Pohang controlled the tempo, registering seventy-nine attacks against fifty-four and holding sixty-two percent possession. Yet their shots accuracy stood at eight percent — nine attempts off target, one on. Ulsan, by contrast, landed six shots on target from six attempts. The high line was picked apart.
Jin Si-woo received the first booking in the thirty-sixth minute, and a late yellow card arrived in stoppage time. Ulsan introduced Erick Farias and Hwang Seo-Woong together in the sixty-third minute, a double change that seemed to loosen the home side's structure. J. Tranziska, Jung Seung-Hyun and Kim Seung-Ho followed as substitutes for Pohang.
Both teams remain within touching distance of each other in the standings. Eight wins, four draws and seven defeats for each — the table could not be more balanced. What separates them now is momentum, and momentum belongs to the visitors.
Pohang have lost three of their last four league fixtures, including defeats to Kimchon Sanmus and Jeonbuk Motors. Ulsan showed more resilience, drawing with Daegu and beating Anyan 3:1. The support of the fans could be called devoted, but that is an assessment, not a fact. The fact is that the club sits top of the table
