Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Ulsan: Braces from Junior Negrao and Mislav Orsic helped Ulsan Hyundai confirm their spot in the 2018 AFC Champions League Round of 16 with a comprehensive 6-2 win over Melbourne Victory on Wednesday.
Played at the Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium, both teams came into the match knowing a win would guarantee progression to the knockout rounds and it was the home side who struck first in the most fortuitous of circumstances.
Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas received a back pass and controlled the ball before attempting to clear the ball long, but he delayed too long and his clearance was blocked by Junior Negrao, with the ball deflecting over Thomas’ head and into the open net.
If there was an element of luck to their opening goal, that certainly wasn’t the case on 20 minutes when they doubled their lead. Hwang Il-su made a gut-busting run down the right, crossing the ball into the box where Lim Jong-eun poked home to give the home side a 2-0 lead, before Orsic added a third just over five minutes before half time.