The South Korean Olympic soccer team, which is away from coach Hwang Sun-hong, is cruising.
The Olympic team, led by head coach Myung Jae-yong, beat host Saudi Arabia 1-0 thanks to Um Ji-sung’s (Gwangju FC) winning goal in the semifinals of the 2024 Western Asian Football Confederation (WAFF) U-23 Championship at Al Fate Stadium in Al Mubaraj, Saudi Arabia, on the 24th (Korea time).
The Olympic team participated in the tournament without a head coach Hwang Sun-hong as interim head coach of the A team. It is a mock test in preparation for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup, which will also serve as the Asian qualifying round for the 2024 Paris Olympics in Qatar in April. The coach was away at the last inspection, but he succeeded in advancing to the finals by overpowering Saudi Arabia after Thailand.
Compared with the previous starting lineup for the match against Thailand, Korea switched to nine spots, leaving only Kim Min-woo (Dusseldorf) and Seo Myung-kwan (Bucheon FC). Ahn Jae-joon (Bucheon FC) played as the front line strikers, while Um Ji-sung, Bae Joon-ho (Stock City), and Hong Si-hoo (Incheon United) were at the second line. Kim Min-woo and Baek Sang-hoon (FC Seoul) played defensive midfielders, while Lee Tae-seok (FC Seoul), Byun Jun-su (Gwangju FC), Seo Myung-kwan, and Jang Si-young (Ulsan HD) played as the backers. Baek Jong-beom (FC Seoul) stepped up as the goalkeeper.
Throughout the first half, Korea had a fierce battle with Saudi Arabia over the initiative. He attempted to attack based on the fast sides of Hong Si-hoo and Um Ji-sung. The first goal was scored in the 41st minute of the first half. When the ball that was connected from behind was hit by a Saudi Arabian defender, Bae Joon-ho grabbed it and passed it to Um Ji-sung who was penetrating the left side of the penalty box. Um Ji-sung rushed to the gate and shook Saudi Arabia’s net with a right footed shot.
Team Korea, which finished the first half with a 1-0 lead, engaged in a tight race against Saudi Arabia, which launched counterattack. When Hong Si-hoo was pushed to the ground by rival players in the 15th minute of the second half, players from both teams flocked to the stadium and engaged in war of nerves, heating up the mood. 여우알바
Korea, which solidified its lead by banking on its strong defense concentration, confirmed several players by deploying Lee Jae-wook (Ulsan HD), Yang Hyun-joon (Celtic), Kang Hyun-mook (Kimcheon Sang-mu), Lee Kang-hee (Gyeongnam FC), and Hwang Jae-won (Daegu FC). Korea, which widened the scope of the test and calmly defended Um Ji-sung’s first goal, won 1-0, and successfully advanced to the finals.
The Olympic team will have a showdown with Australia for the championship cup on May 27. After drawing 1-1 with Egypt in the semifinals, Australia beat Egypt 2-1 in a penalty shootout to become South Korea’s final partner.