Club World Cup: Kim Pan-gon explains the defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns

Beaten 1-0 by Mamelodi Sundowns in their opening Group F fixture at the Club World Cup, Ulsan HD will be left with some regrets. However, South Korean coach Kim Pan-gon prefers to stay positive.

Thanks to a goal from Iqraam Rayners, the South African champions claimed a historic victory at this FIFA Club World Cup. On their side, Ulsan HD failed to capitalize on their chances, despite some promising spells, particularly in the first half. After the match, Kim Pan-gon remained clear-headed:

I was expecting more aggressive runs from Um Won-sang and Gustav Ludwigson. Um showed some good things. Despite the defeat, we had some interesting opportunities in the first half, so I’m keeping a positive mindset.

The Korean coach also explained his tactical choice, which raised a few eyebrows. For this match, he abandoned his usual back four in favor of a three-man defense, a decision that didn’t pay off:

Our central defenders are solid, so we wanted to take risks out wide. But conceding the first goal was unfortunate, and some organizational issues were evident. If we manage to fix that, I think this three-at-the-back system has potential.

Despite this disappointing start, Ulsan can still hope to bounce back in a Group F where Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense played out a 0-0 draw.

Aliou Toundé |

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