Baek Gaon + Shin Minha, bang! I saved Lee Min Seongho... South Korea overpowered Australia 2-1 to ' advance to semifinals' at U-23 Asian Cup

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Min-sung will beat Australia to face Japan, the "fatal rival."

South Korea, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, won 2-1 with goals from Baek Ga-on and Shin Min-ha in the quarterfinals of the '2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Asian Cup' against Australia at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at 0:30 a.m. on the 18th (Korea time).

This resulted in the long-awaited match between Korea and Japan in the semifinals. South Korea will face Japan on the 20th to advance to the finals.

South Korea launched a 4-5-1 formation. With Baek Ga-on at the forefront, Kim Yong-hak and Kang Sung-jin were on the left and right wingers, respectively. The midfield was composed of Kang Min-joon, Bae Hyun-seo, and Kim Dong-jin. From the left, Jang Seok-hwan, Shin Min-ha, Lee Hyun-yong, and Lee Kun-hee were in the four backs. Hong Sung-min wore goalkeeper gloves.

Australia fought back 4-4-2. Two-top Yovanovitch and Makalister led the attack and Dukuri, Baladon, Agosti and Drew deployed to the second line. Four backs were located by Rollins, Paul, Majekodunmi and Simmons. The goal was guarded by the hole.

There was a tense flow at the beginning of the game. In the fifth minute of the first half, Baek Ga-on dug into the back space of the defense and shot after seeing the goalkeeper come out, but he turned away from the goal. Australia appeared to target the back space of South Korea's defense with fast winger Dukuri.

As we entered the middle of the first half, Korea gradually pushed ahead. In the 19th minute of the first half, Kang Sung-jin and Kim Dong-jin hit a series of mid-range shots, but they missed the post.

South Korea, which has increased its attack intensity, has paid off. Busan's pride and national team's youngest Baek Ga-on's wonder goal broke out. In the 21st minute of the first half, Baek Ga-on connected a long pass that Lee Hyun-yong stabbed forward with an acrobatic shot to shake the net. South Korea's first goal of the tournament came out.

It was Australia that showed a threat. In the 23rd minute of the first half, Simmons hit a surprise mid-range shot from behind the arc circle, and the ball slightly went off the left side of the net.

Australia increased its offensive in the mid-to-late first half, but South Korea did not give Australia a shot opportunity with its tight defense.

Korea has overcome the crisis. A penalty kick (PK) was declared in the 38th minute of the first half for Kang Min-joon's handball foul, but the PK was canceled after a video review. The first half ended with South Korea leading 1-0.

Australia, which led the flow early in the second half, scored an equalizer six minutes into the second half. In Australia's counterattack, Yovanovitch, who dug into the back space of the defense, shot past the goalkeeper and cut the net.

Even after losing the equalizer, South Korea rarely took the lead. Under Australia's strong pressure, it was difficult to develop attacks.

Until the middle of the second half, the game was in a lull. Coach Lee Min-sung tried to change the front line attack in the 32nd minute of the second half by excluding Baek Ga-on and Jeong Jae-sang.

At the end of the second half, South Korea showed a lack of concentration. In the 41st minute of the second half, the defender's pass miss allowed Australia to shoot, but it was relieved by goalkeeper Hong Sung-min's good defense.

South Korea scored a leading goal again at the end of the second half. In the 42nd minute of the second half, Shin Min-ha shook the net by connecting a cross from the right side with a header. South Korea, which held the lead until 5 minutes of extra time in the second half, won 2-1.

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*This content was translated by AI.