“In the first half, Ulsan came out aggressively, and we took time to adjust. The same happened in the second half, where they pressed hard and scored through a quick counter-attack,” said Yoshida. 

“As the match progressed, I adapted to Ulsan's style of play. The first half was tough but eventually we found ways to break their defence down.”

The Japanese tactician made key adjustments at half-time, urging his players to press higher and put more pressure on Ulsan, which ultimately shifted the momentum in Kobe’s favour as they moved to seven points, two adrift of leaders Gwangju FC in the East standings.

“Ulsan dominated possession in the first half, putting us under pressure. So at half-time, I told the players to press higher and push more aggressively when Ulsan had the ball.”

It was Ulsan’s third consecutive defeat against a Japanese team, having previously fallen to Kawasaki Frontale and Yokohama F. Marinos, with head coach Kim Pan-gon taking full responsibility for his team’s poor performance. 

“I deeply apologise to the Ulsan fans for today's result. It’s embarrassing, and I feel unqualified. I have no excuses and am reflecting on my own performance. We’ll work to bounce back from this disappointment quickly,” said Kim, whose side remain without a point.

“Maybe we showed too much respect to the Japanese team, or perhaps not enough. Either way, our lack of preparation led to continuous mistakes. I need to reassess whether I'm fit for this role.

"Ulsan is a club that has won the AFC Champions League™ and back-to-back K-League titles. Our mindset and approach today were simply not good enough to compete.”