On March 15, the qualifying round of the East Asian Championship was in full swing, and South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai FC beat Thailand's Thai Port by an overwhelming 3-0 margin to advance to the group stage. They will be in the same group with Guangzhou from the Chinese Super League.
Prior to the match, Ulsan Hyundai's team PCR test results showed that some players were infected with the New Crown Virus, which, along with injury problems, posed a considerable challenge to the team. However, with their strong strength, they won easily at home with a score of 3-0, and the road to promotion was smooth.
Although Thai Harbour failed to qualify, they still showed a high profile by cleaning up the visiting team's dressing room and leaving the word "thank you" on the whiteboard.
The Hong Kong skipper said, "Congratulations to Ulsan on their victory, we did our best in an unfavorable situation."
Ulsan Hyundai took to their official social media to share a photo of the Tae Hong Kong locker room after the match and the contents of the whiteboard, and expressed their gratitude, "They have traveled a long way, and we are especially grateful for Tae Hong Kong's respect and courtesy on and off the field."
After advancing to the group stage, Ulsan Hyundai has been placed in Group I with Guangzhou, Japan's Kawasaki Frontale and Malaysia's Johor. The group stage will be held from April 15 to 30 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
It is worth mentioning that Ulsan Hyundai has not only Kim Young-gwon, who used to play for Guangzhou Evergrande in the Chinese Super League, but also Leonardo, a striker who is on loan from Shandong Taishan. Leonardo's performance has been impressive since joining the team, scoring in two consecutive rounds of the K-League and contributing a goal against Taigang, making him a bright spot in the team's performance.
