Hwang Seon-hong-ho achieved a comeback victory over Japan and achieved the first three consecutive wins in men’s soccer history at the Asian Games. The U24 national soccer team stands tall at the top of Asia, raising expectations for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Korea defeated Japan 2-1 in the men’s soccer final of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China on the 7th. They gave up the first goal to Japan two minutes after the game started, but ‘solver’ Woo-young Jeong (Stuttgart) brought the game back to square one with a header goal in the 27th minute of the first half. Korea, which led the game, defeated Japan, a difficult enemy, with Jo Young-wook (Gimcheon)’s come-from-behind goal in the 11th minute of the second half.
Korea rewrote the history of men’s soccer at the Asian Games by winning three consecutive championships, following the 2014 Incheon Games and the 2018 Jakarta/Palembang Games. Although they had difficult matches, including the quarterfinals against the host country China, the semifinals against Uzbekistan, and the final against Japan, Hwang Seon-hong scored 27 goals and gave up only 3 goals, finishing the tournament cleanly with all 7 wins.
The players who won the ‘Korea-Japan Final’, won the gold medal, and even received a gift of special military service exemption, hugged each other, shared joy, and expressed their gratitude to the Korean cheering squad when their victory was confirmed.토토사이트
Among the 22 players on the national team, excluding the two (Kim Jeong-hoon and Lee Kwang-yeon) who completed military service or were exempted, 20, including ‘ace’ Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), were eligible for special military service exemption. Cho Young-wook, who wears the rank of corporal and plays for Gimcheon, will be discharged early.
Coach Hwang expressed his motivation after the game, saying, “This is not the end, and tomorrow we will be craving something else.” Coach Hwang now has to form the U23 national team and prepare for the 2024 U23 Asian Cup and Paris Olympics.
Director Hwang, who returned to Korea through Incheon International Airport on the 8th with a bright expression, said, “I told (Lee) Kang-in that we had to work together even though I didn’t get his stamp, but it seems like he was a ‘question mark.’ He hasn’t given me a clear answer yet. “I think it’s a secret,” he said with a laugh.
Coach Hwang also requested support for his national team. He emphasized, “The A-match period is natural, and you must have the opportunity to train even for just two to three weeks during the winter training period to be competitive,” adding, “If this does not happen, it can become very difficult.” Jung Woo-young, who scored the most goals (8 goals) in this tournament, chose the moment of the tying goal in the final as the most memorable moment. Jung Woo-young said, “I think scoring a goal in a very desperate situation gave the players some strength.”