"Sweat victory over Lebanon" South Korea leap to No. 1 at U23 Asian Cup over Uzbekistan... Even if they draw the final round, they'll make it to the quarterfinals

*This content was translated by AI.

• Runs to Lebanon in a row → 4-2 come-from-behind victoryGroup C leap ahead of Uzbekistan by a wide marginGroup C final match against Uzbekistan on the 13th

The South Korean under-23 (U-23) national soccer team has risen to the top of Group C in the group stage of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup.

South Korea, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, came from behind to beat Lebanon 4-2 in the second Group C match of the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup at Al-Shabab Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 10th (Korea time).

South Korea, which had previously drawn 0-0 with Iran, scored four points (1 win, 1 draw) and jumped to the top of the group, beating Uzbekistan (4 points, 1 win, 1 draw) and Iran (2 points, 2 draws), which had only a 0-0 draw in the following match.

South Korea has the same points as Uzbekistan, but beat Uzbekistan, which has +1 (3 points, 2 points) with +2 (4 points, 2 points) in difference between gains and losses.

The tournament, in which 16 teams participate and are divided into four groups of four teams, will have the first and second place in each group advancing to the quarterfinals tournament.

South Korea will play the final group match against Uzbekistan at 8:30 p.m. on the 13th, and it can reach the quarterfinals just by drawing in the match.

Even if it loses to Uzbekistan, South Korea is in an advantageous position to advance to the quarterfinals as second place in the group if Iran does not beat Lebanon.

In this competition, the winner's win is determined first when the points are tied, and then the ranking is determined through the overall difference in the group stage and multiple points.

However, Uzbekistan, the final opponent of the group stage, must not let down its guard in that it is clear that it is strong enough to reach the semifinals for the fourth consecutive time in the tournament and to reach the final of the last two tournaments.

Uzbekistan, which beat Lebanon 3-2 earlier, fell to 34%-66% in ball possession against Iran, but drew 0-0 after leading 7-7 in the number of shots and 2-0 in the number of shots on target. Not a single effective shooter was allowed.

South Korea also drew 0-0 with Iran earlier and fell to 36%-64% in ball possession, with only one shot in the first half at the time, with the total number of shots 8-6 and the number of shots on target 1-1.

If they lose to Uzbekistan in the final match, the possibility of being eliminated by Iran's "weakest" Lebanon match cannot be ruled out. He rose to the lead of the group through the second game, but this is why he cannot let his guard down until the final game.

In the match against Lebanon, South Korea faced the match 2-2 by allowing a run first and then scoring an equalizer, but after the middle of the second half, it narrowly turned the game around and won 4-2.

Lee Min-sung, who was hit by Leonardo Para Shaheen in the 13th minute of the first half, balanced it with Lee Hyun-yong's corner header equalizer in the 20th minute of the first half.

South Korea allowed an additional goal to the Elpas in the third minute of the second half, but Jung Jae-sang (Daegu FC) equalized again in the 11th minute of the second half.

After that, South Korea turned the game around with Kang Sung-jin (Suwon Samsung)'s left foot shot in the 26th minute of the second half, and five minutes later, Kim Tae-won (Gatale Tomaya) scored a net goal to win 4-2.

On this day, South Korea was far ahead of Lebanon in ball possession by 67.4%-32.6%, and overwhelmed the opponent by 17-5 in the number of shots. The number of shots on target was 7-3. However, the fact that two of the three allowed shots were lost was a regrettable indicator.

Coach Lee Min-sung said at a press conference after the game, "I want to congratulate the players for winning," but added, "In order for us to become a more advanced team, we have to feel painful about two runs. The attitude of playing at the last minute was wrong. I will fix this and prepare for the match against Uzbekistan," he said bitterly.

Manager Lee said, "The pattern of attack in the first half did not work smoothly. However, the active use of side crossplay in the second half was effective. "I think if the players adjust this pattern, they can continue to get good results," he said. "I think they will show better performance in the next game. The goal is to pass the group stage rather than the first place," he said.

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

*This content was translated by AI.