The Ulsan HD player who stood out the most against Jeju United in the ninth round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at Munsus Stadium in Ulsan, South Korea, on Sept. 29 was the black-haired Lee Dong-kyung.
Ulsan’s last match was the second leg of the 2023-2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) semifinals against Yokohama F. Marinos at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Japan, on Nov. 24.
Up until this point, Lee had long hair. The change in his hairstyle foreshadowed his future. He enlisted in the army on the 29th. 안전카지노사이트 He played an official match for Ulsan until the day before his enlistment.
After entering the training center and completing a four-week military training course, Lee will head to Gimcheon Sangsang of the Armed Forces Sports Unit.
Gimcheon, which won promotion from the K League 2 last season, is ranked higher than Ulsan (3rd – 5 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss – 17 points) after nine rounds. With six wins, one draw, and two losses in nine games, they lead the way with 19 points.
For Ulsan, which is looking to win its third consecutive league title after the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the loss of Joljie Lee to a title contender is a significant blow.
The loss is especially painful for Ulsan, as Lee has been one of the best players in the league so far this season. In this match, Lee Dong-kyung’s performance was one of the most remarkable.
After turning a 1-1 tie into a 2-1 lead in the 17th minute with a left-footed finish off a penetrating pass from Lee Min-kyu, Lee set up Uhm Won-sang’s wedge goal that made it 3-1 17 minutes later with a clever forward pass. The match ended with a 3-1 Ulsan victory.
Lee Dong-kyung, who played in all nine rounds, exploded for seven goals and five assists. He is tied for first with Lee Sang-heon (Gangwon) in goals and first in assists.
His recent form has been even better. In Ulsan’s last three league games, Lee has three goals and three assists.
“I wanted to play my last game and go (to the army), but it’s good to score and help us win,” Lee told the broadcasters after the game.
“I’m at an age where I have to go (to the army) anyway,” he said, adding, “I told my colleagues that it would be good to join the army in a good atmosphere so that my time in Ulsan would be a good memory. They helped me a lot,” he added.
Lee’s “motivation” for joining the army was Jeonbuk Hyundai’s flanker Lee Dong-joon. Both players tried their luck in Germany but couldn’t find a place in their respective clubs, so they decided to return to the K League last year.
“I saw that Lee Dong-joon cut his hair. I thought, ‘I’m enlisting tomorrow, so I won’t have time to cut my hair,’ so I shaved it off and tried to play (today),” said Lee, adding, ‘My teammates said, ’You should cut it more.
“I went (to Germany) last year and I showed a lot of disappointment. This year, I tried my best before I went (to the army) so that we could win the title,” he reflected.
“Ulsan is also playing in the Club World Cup, so I hope they do well. I hope we can do well in the rest of the year, and I hope we can put a star on our emblem (as a sign of victory),” he said in his final words to the Ulsan fans.