AFC Champions League Review: Hwang strike gives Ulsan advantage
Ulsan came from behind to beat Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1, while Shanghai SIPG were held to a 1-1 draw by Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
Hwang Il-su's superb late goal helped Ulsan Hyundai to a 2-1 win in the first leg of their AFC Champions League tie against Urawa Red Diamonds, while Shanghai SIPG came from behind to draw 1-1 with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
Hwang picked the ball up on the halfway line and was allowed a clear run to the edge of the Urawa penalty area, from where he thumped a low drive into the bottom-left corner to give Ulsan the advantage going into the second leg at home.
The goal marked the completion of an impressive turnaround from Kim Do-hoon's side, who fell behind in the 37th minute when Kenyu Sugimoto met Takuya Aoki's cross with a glancing header that left goalkeeper Oh Seung-hoon with no chance.
Five minutes later Joo Min-kyu rose to meet Lee Keun-ho's delivery from the left and nodded over Shusaku Nishikawa, restoring parity and paving the way for Hwang's excellent winner 10 minutes from full-time.
June 19, 2019
In Wednesday's other game, Jeonbuk took just 51 seconds to move in front against SIPG at Shanghai Stadium. Moon Seon-min arrived at the far post to meet Lim Seon-yeong's cross and lift the ball over goalkeeper Yan Junling with a deft flick.
The equaliser came six minutes before half-time when Yu Hai's floated cross evaded the static Jeonbuk defence and found the head of Wang Shenchao.
Hulk hit the post in the first half and the second period continued to be a story of missed opportunities, with the sides sharing 17 shots but only seeing one hit the target.
June 19, 2019