South Korea loses 0-2 to Uzbekistan, two years younger... U23 Asian Cup quarterfinals 'dramatic' advance

*This content was translated by AI.

South Korea's under-23 (U-23) national soccer team suffered a shocking defeat by Uzbekistan. However, thanks to the news of Iran's defeat in Lebanon, it managed to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup.

South Korea, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, lost 0-2 to Uzbekistan in the third Group C match of the tournament at 8:30 p.m. on the 13th (Korea Standard Time) at Prince Faisal Finn Fad Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

South Korea, which had previously drawn 0-0 with Iran and defeated Lebanon 4-2, finished the group stage with four points (1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss) due to its defeat against Uzbekistan. If Iran beat Lebanon in the other Group C match held at the same time, South Korea fell to third place in the group and was eliminated.

However, with the news of Iran's defeat by Lebanon, South Korea managed to advance to the quarterfinals by ranking second in the group after Uzbekistan (2 wins, 1 draw, 7 points). Lebanon (1 win, 2 losses, 3 points) is in third place, and Iran (2 draws, 1 loss, 2 points) is in fourth place.

South Korea, which has never made it to the tournament since the tournament first began in 2013, almost left a humiliating history after its seventh tournament, but despite losing the final match, it was able to reach the quarterfinals thanks to the results of other teams.

In particular, unlike South Korea, where the U-23 national team played, Uzbekistan, the opponent, entered the tournament as a two-year-old U-21 national team, and failed to make any significant counterattacks even after the first loss, but rather allowed additional runs and suffered a "complete defeat."

South Korea, which passed Group C in second place, will compete with No. 1 in Group D to advance to the semifinals of the tournament. In some cases, a semifinal showdown with Japan could take place. Japan also participated in the tournament as a U-21 team, defeating Syria 5-0 and the United Arab Emirates 3-0 in the first and second group matches, respectively, and being the first to confirm their advance to the quarterfinals early in this tournament.

On this day, Jung Jae-sang (Daegu FC) and Kim Tae-won (Gatale Toyama) formed a two-top, while Kim Do-hyun (Gangwon FC) and Kang Sung-jin (Suwon Samsung) operated a 4-4-2 model on both sides. Kim Dong-jin (Pohang Steelers) and Kim Han-seo (Yongin FC) worked together in the midfield. Bae Hyun-seo (Gyeongnam FC), Shin Min-ha (Gangwon FC), Lee Hyun-yong (Suwon FC), and Lee Kun-hee (Suwon Samsung) defended the defense line, while Hong Sung-min (Pohang) defended the goal.

He had a decisive chance six minutes into the first half. After a corner kick from the left side, the ball flowed to the gate, and Kang Sung-jin connected with a non-stop shot. However, it was caught on the right foot, not Kang Sung-jin's main foot, and the shot crossed the crossbar and swallowed the regret.

South Korea, which was able to advance to the quarterfinals on its own even if it drew, did not forcefully solve the attack. By running the game stably in the last room, he increased his ball possession. Uzbekistan also did not put too much pressure on it.

South Korea missed the opportunity to score the first goal in the 39th minute of the first half when a side cross crossed the goalkeeper's height and headed to the other side, but failed to connect to the shot. Rather, he allowed a threatening free kick from the left side of the penalty box four minutes later, but the defender cleared it in front of the net and escaped the crisis of losing points. The opponent's corner kick was hit by a Korean crossbar.

In the end, the first half ended without a goal. South Korea had a 69% lead in ball possession, but the number of shots was tight at 3-3. There was no shot on goal in the first half for both teams.

However, three minutes into the second half, the balance of zero was broken. After Uzbekistan's right side cross failed, Veruzion Karimov connected the ball that flowed outside the penalty box with a powerful shot to shake the Korean net. It was a fatal first loss for South Korea, which was able to reach the quarterfinals even if it drew.

South Korea was shaken after the loss. In the back 10 minutes of the second half, he faced an additional run crisis due to a pass miss. Fortunately, the first shot of the opponent's counterattack was blocked by the defense, and the ensuing shot was also blocked by the goalkeeper's defense, sweeping his chest.

Coach Lee Min-sung sought to turn the mood around by quickly putting in Lee Chan-wook (Kim Cheon Sang-moo) and Jung Seung-bae (Suwon FC). However, even after using the replacement card, Korea failed to make any significant attacks. Rather, he allowed an additional run in the 25th minute of the second half. As the right-side defense completely collapsed, a ground ball cross headed to the gate, and Sidumarcon Saidurulaev connected the pass to the back with a strong shot. The shot hit the crossbar and shook the Korean net again.

Indeed, the embattled Korea had to launch a general offensive. However, only frustrating offensive developments were repeated without finding a gap in the opponent's defense. At least in the 38th minute of the second half, there was a shot opportunity following a side cross, but even this was not saved. A comeback goal was desperately needed to ignite the chase, but South Korea failed to score a goal in the end. Rather, he was driven to the third run crisis by the opponent's counterattack in extra time. In the end, the game ended with South Korea's 0-2 complete defeat. However, as news of Iran's 0-1 defeat against Lebanon spread after the end of the match, it managed to qualify for the quarterfinals of the tournament. It was a shameful passing of the group stage.

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*This content was translated by AI.