The Curious Case of Ulsan HD’s World Cup Woes

Let’s be honest - when the draw placed Ulsan HD alongside Fluminense and Dortmund, most analysts (myself included) penciled them in for early elimination. But football, as my Brazilian mentors taught me, laughs at predictions. Their opening 1-0 loss to South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns on June 17th wasn’t just an upset - it was a tactical earthquake.

Key Stat: Ulsan managed just 0.87 xG against Sundowns’ organized low block. For context, that’s lower than their K-League average of 1.54 xG per game this season.

Fluminense Fireworks: A 4-2 Lesson in Transition Play

The June 21st clash with Fluminese was where things got… interesting. Yes, conceding four goals looks catastrophic until you see:

• Ulsan actually won the xG battle 2.1 vs 1.7
• Completed 87% of passes in final third (vs their season avg of 79%)
• Created 4 clear chances from wide overloads

My take? This was Marcelo-ball meets Korean pressing - beautiful chaos with defensive holes you could drive a bus through.

Silver Linings Against Dortmund

That 1-0 loss to BVB on June 25th? Don’t let the scoreline fool you. Ulsan:

Diego Gómez must be wondering how his 78th-minute curler didn’t find the net (xG: 0.67). Out-tackled Dortmund 19 to 14 despite having just 42% possession Showed Europe they can defend crosses (only 2 conceded from 18 attempts)

Analyst Verdict: This group stage exit stings, but for a team built on K-League dominance, competing at this level is progress. Just don’t ask me about their set-piece defending…