Last-place Suwon Samsung defeated first-place Ulsan Hyundai behind a strong performance from a foreign player duo in professional soccer’s K League 1.
Suwon, led by head coach Kim Byung-soo, defeated Ulsan Hyundai 3-1 in the 23rd round of the Hana OneQ K League 2023 on July 15 at Suwon World Cup Stadium.
Suwon added six points to their tally, having won one and drawn three of their four matches in July. They have pulled within one point of 11th-place Gangwon FC and are poised for a major comeback.
The most notable performances in Suwon’s last three games have come from foreign duo midfielder Kazuki (28-Japan) and striker Mulic (28-Serbia).
Kazuki, who joined Suwon from J-League side Kawasaki Frontele on June 6, has been a key part of Kim Byung-soo’s tactics.
Against Ulsan, Kazuki showed off several crisp passes to lead the Suwon attack. “Coach (Kim Byung-soo) asked me to play aggressive passes, and I’m trying to do that,” Kazuki explained to the broadcasters after the win over Ulsan.
Since Kazuki’s arrival, Suwon has played a tough three-game road trip against the Daejeon Hana Citizens, the Pohang Steelers, and Ulsan with one win and two draws.
Up front, Mulich shines. After joining Suwon from Seongnam FC this season, Mulich struggled with nagging injuries early on. 안전놀이터
However, Mulich has scored goals in the last three games in a row and has quickly become the team’s top scorer. In particular, against Ulsan, he calmly collected a ball that came out of nowhere and beat goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo with a sharp curling shot. Mulicic’s rise has been a welcome one for Suwon, who had scored just 20 goals in 22 league games prior to this match.
After failing to escape the relegation zone (10th-12th) since the start of the season, fans are eager to see if Suwon can continue its upward trend in July.
After the win over Ulsan, Suwon fans held up a sign that read “Nothing is impossible for us” to encourage their players. Suwon’s next opponent is 11th-ranked Gangwon. Depending on the outcome against Gangwon, the team could escape the bottom of the table for the first time in three months.