Lee Young-pyo was shocked, "Do you lose to children who are 2 years younger?"... Scary warning to Lee Min-sung, who was stepped on by 19-year-old Uzbekistan, "I'm worried about AG."

*This content was translated by AI.

Commentator Lee Young-pyo (49) expressed concern and criticism toward Lee Min-sung.

The U-23 national soccer team, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, lost 0-2 in the final third Group C match of the '2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup' against Uzbekistan at Prince Faisal bin Fakhd Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 13th (Korea time).

South Korea lost on the day, but advanced to the quarterfinals as the second-ranked team in the group after Uzbekistan (7 points) with one win, one draw and one loss (four points). At the same time, Iran (score 2) lost 0-1 to Lebanon (score 3), luckily going to the quarterfinals.

Lee Min-sung is aiming for his second career top in six years since the 2020 Thailand tournament, but he has been criticized for his disappointing performance throughout the group stage. In particular, Lee Young-pyo, who was explaining the game, also made a lot of remarks when he played a rough match, including one effective shot, in Uzbekistan, where the average age is two years younger.

Commissioner Lee Young-pyo said, "The average age of Uzbekistan is 19.6 years old. This is because we are preparing for the 2028 LA Olympics. Korea, on the other hand, has players between the ages of 22 and 23. It's not a game where you can't have confidence at all," he said.

After losing the first goal, "Our players do not show any willingness and enthusiasm to turn the game around. Regardless of the performance, our players' attitude toward the game... was so difficult to say.

Even after the game, criticism continued. Commissioner Lee Young-pyo criticized through YouTube channel 'KBS Sports', saying, "The performance was the worst I've seen in recent years." "The most shocking thing is the reaction after losing the first goal. "After that, we have to actively participate in the attack and actively fight to score a goal, but we didn't see this passion at all," he added.

"On the contrary, Uzbek players' movements were active, and as they gained confidence, they pressured our players," he said. "Seeing this, I thought a lot." I'm really disappointed," he said.

Commissioner Lee Young-pyo said, "It's a shock. The average age of Uzbekistan's best 11 is 19.6 years. On the other hand, Korea is 20.8 years old, two years older. "I would feel bad even if I lost to the French, English and Brazilian national teams, who are two years younger, but I feel really bad that I lost to Uzbekistan, who is two years younger," he said.

"In Japan and Uzbekistan, other (Asian) teams raise and prepare for the Olympics for a long time, but South Korea has a special characteristic of the situation. It is important to win a gold medal at the Asian Games (because of special military service). So I have no choice but to do this," he said.

At the same time, he expressed concern, saying, "I fully understand this aspect, but with this performance, I am very worried about the 2026 Aichi and Nagoya Asian Games."

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*This content was translated by AI.