Professional soccer’s K League 1 Incheon United has earned its first win in the club’s first-ever Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) appearance.

Incheon defeated Yokohama F.Marinos 4-2 in the first leg of their 2023-2024 ACL Group G match at Nissan Stadium in Japan at 7 p.m. (ET) on Sept. 19.

Incheon got off to a good start. Ichimori scored an own goal in the eighth minute for a 1-0 lead.

The joy seemed to be short-lived as Nishimura equalized in the 17th minute, but Gerso put them back in front in the 37th minute.

Yokohama, who came into the ACL as last season’s J-League 1 champions, did not go down easily. In the 43rd minute, Miyauchi restored the balance of play.

Incheon came out firing in the second half. In the 30th minute of the second half, Mboku intercepted the ball in the Incheon zone and advanced to the Yokohama zone. He then found Hernandez on the right flank. Hernandez took the ball and scored with a right-footed shot from inside the opponent’s box to regain the lead.

With the momentum on his side, Hernandez soon added another goal. After intercepting the ball near the center circle, he advanced to the front of the box and once again rattled the Yokohama net with a powerful right-footed shot.

With the lead in hand, Incheon made a late substitution in the 39th minute, bringing on Moon Ji-hwan for Shin Shin-ho. Neither team could find the back of the net, and Incheon got off to a good start with their first win in their first ACL appearance.온라인카지노

[SEOUL, South Korea] Ulsan forward Martin Adam celebrates scoring a goal during their 2023-2024 ACL first leg home match against Padum on Sept. 19. (Photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association) *Resale and DB prohibited

Playing at home, defending K League champions Ulsan also won 3-1 against Pathum United (Thailand) in Group I action.

Ulsan took the lead in the 28th minute through Martin Adam. The lead didn’t last long. Raihan Stewart equalized in the 41st minute.

The home team regained the lead in the second half. Martin Adam opened the scoring in the 28th and 33rd minutes of the second half. Martin Adam scored a hat trick to give the team their first win in the ACL.

Ulsan will play the second leg on March 3. They will travel to Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) for their second match.

Meanwhile, the ACL will be changing this season. It will be played as the Chuseok Festival, which begins in the fall and continues through the following spring, and the quota for foreign players has been expanded from 3+1 to 5+1.

Also, the group stage will be played on a home-and-home basis again, after being held at a neutral site last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Incheon’s next ACL match is at home against Kaya FC (Philippines) on March 3.