"This is not the first time." Lee Min-sung lost consecutively, followed by Saudi Arabia and China, and "complete defeat" to Uzbekistan

*This content was translated by AI.

The U-23 national soccer team, led by coach Lee Min-sung (53), suffered a shock loss to Uzbekistan. Even if they drew, they lost 0-2 after a lethargic game in a match that confirmed their advance to the quarterfinals. The impact was even greater because the opponent was a team under the age of 21 (U-21), two years younger.

Lee Min-sung lost 0-2 to Uzbekistan in the third Group C match of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup at Prince Faisal Bin Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 13th (Korea time). It is the first loss of the tournament following a 0-0 draw with Iran and a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over Lebanon.

In the final match, which was rather less burdensome, it collapsed helplessly. South Korea, which had been No. 1 in the group before the final match, was able to advance to the quarterfinals on its own just by drawing on the day. In the past matches between the U-23 national teams, Uzbekistan was overwhelmingly strong with 13 wins, one draw and two losses, and the last four consecutive wins. Even Uzbekistan was a U-21 team with players born after 2005 in preparation for the Olympics two years later. It was also an opportunity to ease the burden and reverse the atmosphere through victory as the previous two games were not good.

In the first half, the game was carefully played as not only South Korea but also Uzbekistan put weight on stability. However, the atmosphere changed in the third minute of the second half when Uzbekistan broke the balance of 0 with a mid-range shot. The problem is that Korea, which was hit hard, has rarely changed its mood. After rarely targeting the opponent's defense, he eventually allowed additional runs in the 25th minute of the second half.

Even after being cornered, the situation did not change. Only at the end of the second half did the "empty" lead to the first effective shot of the day. Despite the desperate need for a goal, he couldn't find a way to break down his two-year-old opponent. The ball possession rate, which reached 67%, was meaningless before the poor indicators of 6-8 inferiority in shooting and 1-4 effective shots.

The disappointment was greater that not only the performance and results, but also the players' willingness to turn the mood around even in the face of growing defeat. KBS commentator Lee Young-pyo criticized, "It is not easy to understand as a soccer player, regardless of generation, the players' physical fights and movements in attack situations when they are being dragged by a two-year-old team."

Nevertheless, he made it to the quarterfinals. As Iran lost to Lebanon, South Korea advanced to the quarterfinals as the second-ranked team in the group. However, the dramatic quarterfinal performance was closer to "humiliating" than miracles or joy because the performance of Lee Min-sung in this game and even this tournament was so poor to expectations. It is in the same vein that some fans say that South Korea was "beaten" to advance to the quarterfinals.

The problem is that this is not the first time the shocking result of the immigration boom, which was launched in June last year.

Lee Min-sung, who immediately left for training in Saudi Arabia, the "Asian Cup showdown site" using the A-match period in October last year, was completely defeated twice, 0-4 and 0-2, in two matches against Saudi Arabia at the time. The Korea Football Association explained that it was a practice game, but the Saudi Football Association reported the news through its official channel, and local media also reported heavily. At that time, even European players such as Yang Min-hyuk (Portsmouth) and Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City) joined the team.

In November, he participated in the Panda Cup, a friendly tournament organized by the Chinese Football Association, and was completely defeated by China 0-2. He allowed a humiliating run on a heel shot following a side cross, and according to Chinese media outlet Titanzhou Bao at the time, the number of South Korean shots was only four, which was a complete defeat. Furthermore, the shock loss against Uzbekistan, who is two years younger, at the U23 Asian Cup, an official tournament, is inevitably viewed as an "extension" of the previous poor.

Of course, the competition is not over yet. Lee Min-sung will reach the quarterfinals dramatically and play the tournament with No. 1 in Group D, which includes China and Australia. If they reach the semifinals, there is a high possibility that they will hold a match between Korea and Japan, and in some cases, they may try to win the title for the first time in six years since the 2020 tournament. However, it is also true that it is not easy to expect a turnaround in the rest of the tournament due to the shock loss to Uzbekistan. In fact, if there is no clear outcome in this competition, public criticism against Lee Min-sung will inevitably intensify.

The bigger problem is that head coach Lee Min-sung will lead the U-23 national team until the Aichi and Nagoya Asian Games in September and the Los Angeles (LA) Olympics two years later. This is why it is necessary to take an in-depth look at the fact that it is not a one-off slump, but that it has been steadily suffering from poor performances and shock losses since its launch last year, and that it has not been able to break the trend even in official competitions. Coach Lee Min-sung said ahead of the tournament, "I will do well to continue the good trend until the Asian Games," but for now, both the Asian Games and the Olympics are much more anxious than expected.

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*This content was translated by AI.