Brisbane Roar smashed 6-0 at Ulsan Hyundai in Asian Champions League

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:47 am

A woeful Brisbane Roar were torn to shreds in a 6-0 AFC Champions League drubbing at the hands of South Korean side Ulsan Hyundai on Tuesday.

Playing for the fourth time in 11 days, the Roar again looked heavy-legged and coach John Aloisi's injury-stretched team was duly punished by the K-League outfit at the Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium.

It leaves Brisbane still searching for their first goal and first win in Group E and continues the nightmare run of A-League teams in the tournament this year, after Adelaide United and Western Sydney suffered heavy defeats last week.

And it may have come at a significant cost with key midfielder Thomas Kristensen forced off midway through the second half with a thigh strain.

Brisbane are already without injured defenders Luke DeVere, Daniel Bowles, Corey Brown and Connor O'Toole, but new recruit Avraam Papadopoulos should be available for the Roar's next match, away to the Newcastle Jets on Sunday.

Having only gathered in Ulsan the day before the match, the Roar might have been lethargic but they were also completely outplayed and out-enthused.

They battled to maintain possession and conceded 13 shots on target to just two.

It was a senior starting debut to forget for Kye Rowles, who filled in at left-back as one of four changes made by Aloisi to the side that slumped to a 2-1 home defeat to the Wellington Phoenix on Saturday.

Kim In-Sung opened the scoring for Ulsan in the 10th minute and put away his second in the 69th minute, while Croatian import Mislav Orsic also bagged a double in the first half.

Dimitri Petratos was handy against his old Brisbane teammates in his first start for Ulsan since his AUS $300,000 transfer earlier this month and provided the assist for their fourth goal through skipper Ivan Kovacec.

Another former A-League player, one-time Newcastle Jets defender Lee Ki-Je, was also a constant threat and his brilliant surging run in the 34th minute led to Orsic's second goal, when Cameron Crestani's attempted clearance fell his way.

Substitute Jongho Lee made it 6-0 with an injury-time header.

It would have been much worse for the Roar but for a string of goal-saving interventions from gloveman Jamie Young.