*This content was translated by AI.
The U-23 national soccer team, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, will challenge to change the atmosphere. With the first scoreless humiliation in the first group match against Iran for the first time in history, if even the second match against Lebanon misses the result, it could be on the verge of eliminating the first group match.
Lee Min-sung will play the second Group C match of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup at Yalsab Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at 8:30 p.m. on the 10th (Korea time). South Korea, which drew 0-0 with Iran earlier, is tied for second after Uzbekistan (3 points) with one point (1 draw).
Coach Lee Min-sung said, "The result is not unsatisfactory," but the draw against Iran in the first round was a regrettable game. On this day, South Korea had less than 30% of the ball possession in the first half, and the number of shots in the first half was also only one. He changed the atmosphere in the second half, but failed to open the opponent's goal in the end. There was only one shot on goal in the 90 minutes, making it a 0-0 draw.
Of course, Iran is an Asian soccer powerhouse, but it was a more bitter result in that the national team's history by age, including U-23, is far apart from that of A national team. In fact, Iran's all-time best performance at the AFC U-23 Asian Cup was the quarterfinals, and the tournament was so weak that it was eliminated from the group stage three times out of the four finals. In the past matches between the U-23 national teams, South Korea had a clear advantage with six wins, two draws and two losses, including the first-round draw.
Nevertheless, Lee Min-sung failed to open the goal against Iran from the first game and only gained one point. It was the first time Korea had not scored a single goal in the first round of the tournament, starting with the first tournament in Oman in 2013. The first draw was also the first in 13 years since the 1-1 draw against Jordan in 2013.
In the match against Lebanon, the opponent of the second game, a change of atmosphere is essential. Lebanon is the first team to advance to the AFC U-23 Asian Cup finals. Rather, it has less experience than Iran. However, in the first game against Uzbekistan, he showed formidable potential. Against Uzbekistan, Lebanon lost 2-3 after a slugfest with nine shots (three shots effective) in a 46%-54% ball possession. He finally scored two goals while trailing 0-3.
For Lee Min-sung, how to target Lebanon's defense, which has lost three goals against Uzbekistan, is important. The key is how ace Kang Sang-yoon (Jeonbuk Hyundai) will overcome the bad news of his injury in the first game against Iran, which eventually left the lineup and was confirmed to be canceled.
If even Lebanon misses the victory, South Korea will have to play Uzbekistan in the final group match under great pressure. In this tournament, only the first and second places in each group will reach the quarterfinals, and Uzbekistan is a team with a clear strength in this age group, as it has reached the semifinals of the last four tournaments in a row and the final of the last two tournaments. It could be the first time in history that the tournament will be humiliated for elimination from the group stage. This is why we need a must-win against Lebanon.
Coach Lee Min-sung said after the match against Iran, "I was nervous because it was my first game, and in the first half, I couldn't play what they wanted, but in the second half, I put myself in danger by pressing the opponent's build-up and created a chance. It's just that I didn't lead to a goal, but I'm not dissatisfied with the result, he said. "It's a preliminary round now. I think I can somehow get through the qualifiers and go to the tournament. From the next round, I want to win unconditionally. "I will definitely win by grasping the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent," he said.
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*This content was translated by AI.
