Because Jo Hyun-woo, The ‘Cheek Wall’ is Alive and Well… A Refreshing Start Towards Ulsan’s ‘Triple Crown’
Jeonbuk advanced to the ACL semifinals with a 'saving show'... Expected to perform well on the national team.
"It was a game where the players showed the best concentration and attitude of the year from the preparation process until the final whistle."
On the 12th, they won 1-0 in the second leg of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) quarterfinals against Jeonbuk Hyundai. These were the first words of K League 1 Ulsan HD coach Hong Myung-bo, who finished with.
Ulsan, who won this game, advanced to the ACL semifinals with a 2-1 lead in the combined score from the first leg (1-1 draw) on the 6th.
Following their opening two wins in K-League 1, where they are aiming for their third consecutive win, they also cruised to the semifinals in the ACL, showing a clear rise in the early part of the season.
In particular, for Ulsan, it was an even more meaningful victory as it succeeded in taking the lead in the first match of the season against Hyundai's rival Jeonbuk, which was also mentioned as a candidate to win the league. https://www.oncasino.site
Ulsan, who took a one-goal lead on the total with Seol Young-woo's goal in extra time in the first half, maintained a narrow advantage until the end despite Jeonbuk's wave of attacks that continued until the end.
As coach Hong mentioned, it was a game where Ulsan's 'concentration' shined, and at the end of it all was the national team's goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo.
In the 14th minute of the first half, Thiago sensuously put his foot to a low cross sent by Dong-Jun Lee after quickly breaking through the right flank, but Hyun-Woo Cho blocked it with his foot.
Jo Hyun-woo's reflexes stood out in a one-on-one situation with Moon Seon-min in the 28th minute of the first half.
After Moon Seon-min received a long ball from the right side, Jo Hyun-woo blocked a left-footed shot from the center of the penalty area by extending his foot right in front of him.
In the 7th minute of the second half, Thiago had another good opportunity when Song Min-gyu gave up a low pass from the right side of the penalty area, but Jo Hyun-woo hit a strong shot and hit it away.
Looking at the records of the second leg of the quarterfinals on the AFC website, Jeonbuk had 11 shots, one more than Ulsan, and the number of effective shots was the same at 4.
Although Jeonbuk constantly created opportunities, they were blocked by Cho Hyun-woo's wall at crucial moments and were exhausted every time.
Jeonbuk coach Dan Petrescu also said, "We struggled to create several scoring opportunities, but Jo Hyun-woo played very well.
I think the player who performed the most brilliantly throughout the first and second games was Cho Hyun-woo," which influenced the direction of the semifinal ticket.
His saves were cited as a factor.
Cho Hyun-woo, who was selected as the best 11 in the K-League 1 season for 7 consecutive years from 2017 to last year, showed light movement from the beginning this season, and Ulsan, which is looking to win the 'triple crown' this year, is starting strong.
Expectations are high for Jo Hyun-woo's performance during the upcoming international match period in March.
With Kim Seung-gyu (Al-Shabaab), who was a key player under former coaches Paulo Bento and Jurgen Klinsmann, missing due to a ruptured right cruciate ligament during the Asian Cup in January, Cho Hyun-woo appears to be regaining his position as the national team's 'number one' goalkeeper.
Interim coach Hwang Seon-hong, who is leading the 2026 North and Central America World Cup 2nd qualifying round match against Thailand this month (home on the 21st, away on the 26th), includes Cho Hyun-woo, Song Bum-geun (Shonan Bellemare) and Lee Chang-geun (Daejeon) as goalkeepers in this list.
It is highly likely that weight will continue to be placed on Jo Hyun-woo.
Coach Hwang was also on site to watch the second game of the ACL quarterfinals, where Jo Hyun-woo's save show took place.
