"One shot in the first half" South Korea's U23 and Iran 0-0 draw... "Shake" from the first round of the Asian Cup

*This content was translated by AI.

South Korea's under-23 (U-23) national soccer team missed the victory from the first edition of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup.

South Korea, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, drew 0-0 with Iran in the first Group C match of the tournament at Al-Shabab Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 7th (Korea time).

Iran is a strong Asian team with a higher FIFA ranking than South Korea at the A-team level, but the U-23 national team is a team with a wide gap with the A-team.

In fact, South Korea is inferior to Iran with 10 wins, 10 draws, and 13 losses in the history of the U-23 national team, but South Korea was far ahead with 6 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses before the match.

In terms of U-23 Asian Cup performance, Iran's quarterfinals were the best in history compared to South Korea, which won the 2020 tournament, and the team did not even pass the Asian qualifying round in the previous tournament. He has played in the U-23 Asian Cup finals four times and has been eliminated from the group stage three times.

Nevertheless, Lee Min-sung was unable to compete with Iran without scoring after showing regret in his performance, with only one shot in the first half against Iran and less than 30% of the ball possession.

In the second half, he changed the atmosphere and created an attack opportunity, but he had to be satisfied with one point without paying off in the end.

South Korea will face Lebanon on the 10th and Uzbekistan on the 13th. The first and second place in each group will reach the quarterfinals tournament to determine the winning team. It is not the year when the Olympics are held, so it does not combine with the Olympic qualifiers.

On this day, head coach Lee Min-sung deployed Kim Tae-won (Gatale Toyama) and Kang Sang-yoon (Jeonbuk Hyundai) as two-top players, while Kim Do-hyun (Gangwon FC) and Kim Yong-hak (Pohang Steelers) operated a 4-4-2 model on the left and right sides. Kim Dong-jin (Pohang) and Lee Chan-wook (Kim Cheon, managing director) worked together in the midfield. Bae Hyun-seo (Gyeongnam FC), Shin Min-ha (Gangwon), Lee Hyun-yong (Suwon FC) and Kang Min-joon (Suwon FC) defended the defense line, and Hong Sung-min (Pohang) defended the goal.

South Korea has suffered ups and downs since the first half. Kang Sang-yoon, who intercepted the opponent's goalkeeper's pass miss early in the game, looked at the opportunity, but he swallowed the disappointment as Cross was in the goalkeeper's arms. Rather, in the 17th minute of the first half, a left-footed non-stop shot following the opponent's pass play slightly off the post and swept his chest.

Two minutes later, he shook the net. Kim Tae-won, who received the pass with exquisite trapping in the penalty box, even connected the shot himself and shook the net. However, the score was canceled due to an offside decision during the side breakthrough before the score.

In the middle of the first half, injuries were added. Kang Sang-yoon, the team's core, collapsed and complained of pain in his left knee. In the end, Kang Sang-yoon was replaced as it was, and Jung Seung-bae (Suwon FC) was put in instead. After Kang Sang-yoon's departure, Lee Min-sung's performance sharply declined. He gave up a series of opportunities to counterattacks and set pieces. Fortunately, South Korea finished the first half without a first run. In the first half, the ball possession rate was 29.7%-70.3%, and the number of shots was 1-3.

Coach Lee Min-sung made a change by putting in Kang Sung-jin (Suwon Samsung) at the beginning of the second half. At the beginning of the second half, he led the atmosphere and aimed for the opponent's goal. Lee Chan-wook's header from the corner kick situation turned away from the goal, and Kim Do-hyun's mid-range shot also deviated from the goal. Iran also aimed for the back space of South Korea's defense through a quick counterattack. Following a side cross in the 15th minute of the second half, Heather slightly missed the Korean goal and overcame the crisis of losing a point.

Since the middle of the second half, both teams have tried to break the balance through replacement cards. Coach Lee Min-sung also made changes by putting in Jung Ji-hoon (Gwangju FC) and Kim Han-seo (Yongin FC). However, Korea has rarely created a decisive opportunity. Rather, it was shaken, such as facing a critical loss crisis in the opponent's conversion pass. In the 35th minute of the second half, even Kim Tae-won was replaced on a stretcher, adding to another injury.

There was no reversal. In the second half of extra time, both South Korea and Iran exchanged decisive opportunities, but failed to open each other's goals in the end. South Korea was caught by the opponent's defender in a counterattack, and Iran's mid-range shot headed straight to the goalkeeper. Even South Korea's shot from the gate at the end of extra time did not lead to fruition. In the end, the match ended in a 0-0 draw.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.