On the road to the gold medal, we meet coach Timur Kapadze (42), who has faced Korea as a K-League player, Uzbekistan national team player, and coach.
The Republic of Korea Asian Games national soccer team, led by coach Hwang Seon-hong, will face Uzbekistan in the semifinals of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China at 9 p.m. on the 4th (Korean time).
Korea, which completely defeated the ‘home team’ China and won 2-0 and advanced to the semifinals, met Uzbekistan, which is considered a ‘champion candidate’, on its way to the gold medal. Uzbekistan advanced to the semifinals by winning 2-1 over Saudi Arabia prior to the match between Korea and China on the 1st.
Uzbekistan’s head coach Timur Kapadze is a coach with deep ties to Korea. This is because he played as a player for Incheon United in the K-League of Korea in 2011. Kapadze played in 30 K-League games, scoring 5 goals and 5 assists, before leaving for Al Sharjah SC in 2012.
In addition, Coach Kapadze played as a player for the Uzbekistan national team against Korea in the quarterfinals of the 2015 AFC Australia Asian Cup.
Even after Kapase became coach, he continued to compete against Korea. The opponent is Director Hwang Seon-hong. Last September, Coach Kapadze and the Uzbekistan U-21 national team faced Hwang Seon-hong at Hwaseong Sports Complex Town in Gyeonggi-do and recorded a 1-1 draw.
At that time, Uzbekistan scored the first goal in the 5th minute of the second half. Ruslan Iyanov hit Korea’s net with a low, quick cross from the right and a shot right in front of the goal. The goal was scored after Korea’s back space was completely destroyed.
Korea barely managed to balance the game at the end of the second half. In the 34th minute of the second half, Cho Hyun-taek took the free kick near the right corner of the box and scored an amazing wonder goal. The match ended in a draw.
At that time, the game was a rough match with a lot of contact between players from both teams. Coach Kapase said at the time, “I told the players, ‘Today’s game may be rough. There may be physical fights.’ There were rough scenes like this in unofficial games before, so a rough game was expected that day.” there is.
At this time, Coach Kapase said, “(I) also had experience playing in Incheon 10 years ago, so I knew the Korean style. I could predict that there would be a physical fight. Korea also had a strong will to win as it was a home warm-up match. We also had a chance to win. “We were desperate and a physical fight broke out. I don’t think these kind of physical matches are bad, but I think it’s important to understand and deal with any team we meet. I’m satisfied with both the course of the game and the result,” he said, expressing satisfaction with the rough fight of the Uzbekistan players.레고토토
Uzbekistan, who watched before the match between Korea and China on the 1st, did not lose in the fight against Saudi Arabia. Rather, they faced each other more firmly, maintained possession of the ball, and quickly sent the ball forward. The opponent who has both strength and speed is Uzbekistan.
Meanwhile, Coach Kapadze said at a press conference held immediately after the game against Saudi Arabia on the 1st, “Korea and China are both teams aiming to win this tournament. They are very good and strong teams, and we also analyze previous games between Korea and China to prepare. “We still have time to watch the game and prepare. Good luck to both teams. A stronger team will compete with us in the next round,” he said, expressing confidence.