Hwang Seon-hong, who properly stepped in the first step with his dramatic victory, met his archenemy China on the road to the tournament. If he evokes Gong Han-diagnosis (Chinese fear of Korean soccer), he will encounter a smooth shortcut, and if he is stopped by opponent teams\' dense defense and rough fouls, he will fall into the mud. 메이저사이트
The Korean men\'s under-23 national soccer team, led by Hwang Sun-hong, will hold its second group qualifying match against China in Group B of the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Asian Cup at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar, at 10 p.m. on the 19th. With South Korea and Japan tied for first place with 1-0 wins in their first match, if the two teams beat China and the United Arab Emirates, respectively, they will confirm their advance to the tournament early and face off in the third round.
The problem is the opposite. China and the UAE, which have won points, aim for victory against each other in Game 3 to achieve a glimmer of hope, while Korea and Japan are also going all-out to secure their place in the quarterfinals on their own. If this happens, chances are high that even if they advance to the next round, they will suffer from physical challenges throughout the tournament.
Korea should make every effort in this match against China, which will determine the overall flow of the championship. China is likely to build two defense walls against Korea, which is as dominant as the UAE. Therefore, it is important to get a first goal by utilizing set pieces, such as Lee Tae-seok\'s corner kick and Lee Young-joon\'s header goal in the second half of the first match.
The U-23 team also defeated China 2-0 in the quarterfinals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games on Oct. 1 last year. China, which had five defenders in total, played the game cautiously, focusing on counterattacks, but Hong Hyun-suk (Hent) scored a picturesque left-footed free-kick goal in the 18th minute of the first half, scuttling the rival team\'s plan. Coach Hwang Seon-hong gained momentum and won the gold medal.
"As the biggest crisis is likely to be the quarterfinals, we need to win against China for the entire tournament," soccer commentator Han Joon-hee told the Seoul Shimbun in a telephone interview on the day. "We often staged scenes where China missed the striker in the penalty box in the match against Japan. Korea also needs several players to enter and increase the effectiveness of set plays."
Korea needs to take a break less than three days. According to the list of players for the match against UAE, Hong Si-hoo (Incheon United) is a substitute for Yang Hyun-joon (Celtic), who failed to be called up, while Baek Sang-hoon (Seoul) belatedly joined the team due to knee injury. Kim Dong-jin (Pohang Steelers) and Choi Kang-min (Ulsan HD), who replaced Kim Ji-soo (Brentford) and Bae Joon-ho (Stock City), stayed in the bench. The longer the training continues, the more performance of latecomers can increase.
What\'s important is the players\' performance. At the beginning of the second half in the first game, Hwang turned the mood around by introducing Lee Young-joon and Kang Sung-jin. Lee Tae-seok, who provided assistance, also played as a substitute in the 32nd minute of the second half. Jeong Sang-bin (Minnesota) who arrived in Qatar on the 15th, also completed adjustment to jet lag and made a bold breakthrough to vitalize his offense.
"Korea\'s offensive pattern in the first game was rather monotonous, but it could be diversified if players with different styles are combined," Han said. "It seems that hidden card player Jung Sang-bin will be able to participate."