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Team Sunhong crash out of AFC U-23 Asian Cup
13. Jun. 2022 00:00:53 1,165
Korea Republic have been eliminated from the AFC U-23 Asian Cup after a comprehensive defeat at the hands of Japan.
Hwang Sunhong’s U-23 side lost 3-0 against Japan in the quarter-finals of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup staged at the Pakhtakor Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Sunday. Suzuki Yuito drew first blood after 21 minutes, before Hosoya Mao and Suzuki put the result beyond doubt midway through the second half. Korea Republic had reached the last four in every edition of the tournament since its inception in 2014, but their campaign came to an abrupt end this time.
Hwang was forced to make a few changes ahead of the big match against the archrivals, with first-choice goalkeeper Go Dongmin, centre-back Lee Sangmin and forward Jeong Sangbin sidelined due to injury and COVID-19 infections. To fill the void left by the absentees, the coach opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation instead of his usual 4-1-4-1.
It was Japan that took complete control in the opening half, creating a series of promising chances through set-pieces from the outset. Suzuki’s free-kick was deflected by Park Jeongin’s head before hitting the underside of the crossbar and falling into the back of the net. It was the first time that Hwang’s charges fell behind in the tournament, although goalkeeper Min Seongjun did well to prevent his side from falling further behind before half time.
Hwang made two changes to revert his side to a 4-1-4-1 during the interval, bringing on defensive midfielder Kwon Hyeokkyu and striker Cho Youngwook. The reshuffle seemed to work almost immediately, with Hong Hyunseok lurking into the area to create chances for Cho and Yang Hyunjun.
However, they were to rue the missed opportunities as the Japanese began to dominate the game midway through the second half. Hosoya latched on to the rebound from his initial effort from close range to double his side’s advantage on 65 minutes. Hwang responded by reinforcing the attack with the introduction of Oh Sehun, but it proved too little, too late as Suzuki netted his second of the afternoon with ten minutes remaining.
Earlier this month, the Taegeuk Warriors got off to a flying start with a 4-1 victory over Malaysia in their Group C opener on 2 June, with goals from Lee Sangmin, Kim Taehwan and Cho Youngwook (double). The latter scored his third goal of the tournament in a 1-1 draw with Vietnam three days later, and Korea Republic eventually won their group by edging Thailand 1-0 on Wednesday.
AFC U-23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 results
Quarter-finals
Korea Republic 0-3 Japan
(Suzuki Yuito 22’, 80’, Hosoya Mao 65’)
Group stage
Korea Republic 4-1 Malaysia
(Lee Sangmin 31’, Kim Taehwan 48’, Cho Youngwook 88’ 90’+2; Mukhairi Ajmal 83’)
Korea Republic 1-1 Vietnam
(Cho Youngwook 63’; Vu Tien Long 83’)
Korea Republic 1-0 Thailand
(Go Jaehyeon 35’)
Lee Kangin called up to Hwang Sunhong's side
Cho Hyuntaek fires home late equaliser against Uzbekistan
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