Coach Hwang Seon-hong, who predicted a three-game winning streak, lowered his head from the first game. Qatar is the host country of the U-23 Asian Cup, so it will not affect the preliminaries, but judging from the performance, it is expected to be a thorny road.
The Korean U-23 national team, led by coach Hwang Seon-hong, lost 0-2 to Qatar in the first leg of the ‘Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup’ Group B preliminary round at the Changwon Football Center at 7:50 pm on the 6th. I experienced hardship from the first step to Paris.
This tournament is a prelude to the U-23 Asian Cup finals. The U-23 Asian Cup is a competition where qualification for the Olympics is at stake. The top three teams advance directly to the Olympics, and the fourth-place team plays a playoff against the fourth-place team from the African qualifiers. If we win the right to advance to the Paris Olympics, we will be the first in the world to advance to the Olympic finals for the 10th time in a row. Korea made history by advancing to the last tournament for the 9th time in a row, and is determined to break the record once again this time.
Korea was tied with Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, and Myanmar in Group B of the U-23 Asian Cup preliminary round. Qatar is the host team of the U-23 Asian Cup, so the match results do not affect the rankings. The match between Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar ended in a 1-1 draw with each team trading one goal each.
In the match against Qatar, the player who would play at the forefront and aim for the net was Heo Yul. At the waist, Um Ji-seong, Kang Hyun-mook, Lee Jin-yong, Jeon Byeong-gwan, and Oh Jae-hyuk play. The defense consists of Kim Kyung-hyun, Cho Seong-kwon, Jo Wi-jae, and Lee Tae-seok, and the goalkeeper gloves are worn by Baek Jong-beom.
Korea calmly advanced from the back with short passes. The ball was cut off in the danger area due to Qatar’s momentary pressure, but they rushed in immediately and took the lead. In the 11th minute of the first half, Lee Jin-yong broke into the side and shook Qatar. Qatar uneasily cleared the ball and Korea’s tempo did not stop. Lee Tae-seok attempted a low, fast ground ball cross, and Jeon Byeong-gwan shot, threatening Qatar.
In the 14th minute of the first half, Korea attacked the halfspace and delivered a pass to Heo Yul, who was infiltrating. Jeon Byeong-gwan tried again, but he quickly missed the goal. Qatar tried to counterattack several times to gain momentum, but lost in a physical battle for the ball with Korea. The goal was aimed at the Korean net from a free kick set piece in the 19th minute of the first half, but the accuracy was poor.
In the 25th minute of the first half, Korea broke through the Qatar defense wall with a one-two pass. Heo Yul caught the shot inside the box, but it was caught by the Qatari goalkeeper and he swallowed his disappointment. However, offside was declared during Uhm Seong’s infiltration, so even if he scored, it was invalid. Qatar chilled goalkeeper Baek Jong-beom with a quick shot in the 30th minute of the first half.
Qatar knocked on the Korean goal for a moment, but Korea showed concentration and blocked it. They attacked the space behind them with a side counterattack, but when it didn’t work out, they returned the ball to the final defensive line and reorganized their line. Although Korea had a high ball possession rate, they were not able to attack as effectively as expected. However, in the 38th minute of the first half, the first goal was scored by Qatar. Allawi received the ball in front of the penalty box and hit the net with a calm shot.
As the second half began, Korea made a change by bringing in Hong Yun-sang and Baek Sang-hoon. In the 2nd minute of the second half, Oh Jae-hyuk fired a shot from a long distance to make up for the goal. Korea used its lateral speed to shake Qatar. However, Qatar threw itself in and blocked the direction of the Korean attack. In the 5th minute of the second half, Um Ji-seong dug inside and caught the ball, but it was caught in the goalkeeper’s hand and he was unable to create a meaningful attack. After blocking Korea’s attack, Qatar calmly launched a counterattack and showed off a sharp mid-range shot. In the 9th minute of the second half, he chilled the Korean audience with a threatening header.
Qatar added Mahdi Salem Almejaba and Nabil Irfan to change the flow on the pitch. They used the atmosphere of the first goal as a stepping stone and showed more relaxed movements than the first half. They calmly exchanged one-two passes and put the ball into the Korean box, and when there was an opportunity, they knocked on the goal with a shot.
Korea targeted Qatar’s halfspace and flanks, but Qatar’s two lines of defense were tighter than expected. Heo Yul and Um Ji-seong knocked on the ball with passes and penetration, but it did not open easily. Coach Hwang Seon-hong aimed for a variation with overseas player Lee Hyun-joo in the 15th minute of the second half. He was planning to score an equalizer by putting more weight on the attack. After blocking Korea’s attack, Qatar used his individual abilities to shake the Korean balance.
Qatar used Allawi to threaten Korea. If Korea showed even the slightest gap, they would time their shot and aim for an additional goal. In the end, Korea allowed an additional goal. In the 23rd minute of the second half, a throw-in was given from the side, and striker Tahim Mansour’s backheader shot went through the net. Goalkeeper Baek Jong-beom lowered his head in shock at the shot that went beyond his height.스포츠토토
Korea hardly had any momentum. Rather, they gave Qatar a lot of space and handed over the initiative to their opponents. Qatar, ahead by two goals, played the game more leisurely. In the 34th minute of the second half, Uhm Seong received a cutback from the side and tried to shoot, but it cut through the air. The cross delivered to Heo Yul also failed to make a mark. I tried to break through the Qatari goalkeeper by switching left and right, but it wasn’t easy.
Korea had to somehow score a consolation goal. We tried to push by using physicality at the corner kick set piece, but Qatar’s defense, which took the lead, was solid. The 4,000 spectators gathered in Changwon chanted “Cheer up, Korea” and hoped for Hwang Seon-hong’s rebound.
Qatar smoothly carried the ball from the center circle and broke through the Korean defensive block. Although their ball possession rate was lower than that of Korea, they showed a sharp performance by consistently making effective shots. In this game, he effectively blocked Uhm Uhm-seong, who plays a key role in the flanks and midfield, blocking Korea’s attack routes.
In the 40th minute of the second half, Korea’s Park Chang-Woo aimed an acrobatic shot into the Qatari net, but it caught on the goalkeeper’s fingertips and he swallowed his disappointment. Director Hwang Seon-hong did his best to turn the atmosphere around by using the replacement card until the last minute. The ball was thrown into the Qatar box one after another through corner kicks or early crosses, but it was not easy to break through the dense defense. Korean players threw their bodies to block the Qatari attack and attempted a counterattack. Heo Yul’s header shot, which had been knocking Qatar out from the first half, also fell into the goalkeeper’s arms.
There were 5 minutes of extra time in the second half. Korea raised its line a lot and put the ball into the box as quickly as possible, but Qatar’s defense did not waver. They maintained a formation close to five-back and continued to contain the Korean attack. Korea’s goals continued to miss the net, and they were unable to score a goal to make up for it, resulting in a bitter defeat in their first game.
Coach Hwang Seon-hong made his statement at the official press conference for the ‘U-23 Asian Cup Preliminary Group B’ held at the Grand Mercure Hotel in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do on the 5th. Ahead of the preliminary schedule, including the match against Qatar, “I know that all teams have prepared well for the U-23 Championship finals. This preliminary round is important for Korea to advance to the finals as well. It is a game played at home. We will prepare to win every game. “Yes, I will repay you with good results,” he said.
Junsu Byun and Yungu Kang left the show due to injuries, but they filled the void by utilizing the talent pool as much as possible. Coach Hwang also has many age-specific national teams in the Asian Games. Although he had difficulty being called up, he was able to be selected thanks to the help of the K League coaches. It’s not 100%. However, this cannot be an excuse for the result or situation. “I will prepare well for the game at home and do my best,” he said.
Ahead of the match against Qatar, he said, “Qatar is the home team in the finals. This is a team that prepares for the long term. It is a subject of caution. You can experience Middle Eastern soccer through tomorrow’s game. He said, “This is an opportunity to test how competitive I can be in the championship finals.” However, contrary to coach Hwang Sun-hong’s expectations, who had aimed for a complete victory, he was caught off guard from the first game, predicting an uneasy start. Korea ‘2024 AFC