Joo’s brace moves Ulsan to verge of ACL quarters
Kaito Kamiyama then brought Kim Min-woo down in penalty area on stroke of halftime and Joo converted to double his tally and Ulsan’s lead
HONG KONG: Ulsan Hyundai put one foot in the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League on Thursday as the South Korean champions handed Japanese second-division side Ventforet Kofu a 3-0 defeat at Ulsan Munsu Stadium. Joo Min-kyu scored twice in eight minutes late in the first half to give Ulsan control of the tie and Seol Young-woo hit his side’s third 16 minutes after the interval.
The teams will meet in Tokyo in the return leg next week with Kofu, the first second-division side to qualify for the knockout rounds of the competition, facing an uphill task to overturn the deficit. Yoshiyuki Shinoda’s side were second-best throughout with Joo and Um Won-sang both hitting the woodwork in the opening 20 minutes for the Hong Myung-bo’s K-League champions. The breakthrough came eight minutes before halftime when Joo headed in from close range after Kofu goalkeeper Kohei Kawata parried Um’s cross into his path. Kaito Kamiyama then brought Kim Min-woo down in the penalty area on the stroke of halftime and Joo converted to double his tally and Ulsan’s lead.
