Korea Republic U-23 men’s national team edged Australia after a penalty shootout to win the WAFF U-23 Championship.
 

The Olympics side drew 2-2 with the Socceroos after 90 minutes in the final staged at Al Fateh Stadium in Al Hofuf on Wednesday, before they emerged victorious in the subsequent shootout 4-3 to lift the trophy.
 

Korea Republic came from behind to take the lead through goals from Lee Youngjun and Kang Sungjin in each half, before conceding an equaliser midway through the second half that forced the match into penalties.
 

The tournament was a good opportunity for the young Taegeuk Warriors to prepare for the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, which takes place in Qatar next month as the Asian qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Korea Republic had been invited to take part in the competition alongside Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Australia, Thailand and Egypt.
 

Each participating team played three games in this tournament: the knockout phase saw eight sides face one another, with the winners advancing to the next round and the losers taking on each other to decide the standings.
 

Earlier in the competition, Korea Republic defeated Thailand 1-0 in the quarter-finals with Cho Hyuntaek scoring the winner on the stroke of half time, before beating hosts Saudi Arabia 1-0 with Eom Jisung netting the only goal of the game on 41 minutes.
 

Meanwhile, senior assistant coach Myung Jaeyong took the reins in the absence of coach Hwang Sunhong, who were away with the senior national team in the second round of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

PHOTO = West Asian Football Federation