*This content was translated by AI.
Lee Min-sung, who played in the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 (U-23) Asian Cup, was eliminated from the semifinals (quarterfinals). Although it has risen one level higher than the last two tournaments, which were eliminated in the quarterfinals one after another, the goal of Korean football is always the top in Asia, which is a disappointing performance.
South Korea, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, lost 0-1 to Japan in the semifinals of the tournament held at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the 20th (Korea time). South Korea will play the final match of the tournament at 0 a.m. on the 24th against Vietnam, led by head coach Kim Sang-sik, after being pushed to the third place final match.
Although it was not an Olympic qualifying tournament, it eventually failed to regain the top spot in Asia for the first time in six years since the 2020 event. The impact was even greater in that Japan, which competed for the finals, participated in the tournament as a U-21 national team, two years younger than South Korea, and lost after a rough match, losing to 1-10 in the number of shots in the first half without overwhelming the game.
The problem is that it is not just a defeat in the rivalry game between Korea and Japan. South Korea has only performed poorly throughout the tournament, barely passing even the group stage earlier. It drew without scoring a single goal against Iran, which was eliminated at the bottom of the group, and was completely defeated 0-2 after a helpless game against Uzbekistan in the final match. Uzbekistan, like Japan, was also two years younger than Korea.
Of course, most of the European leagues, which are the main players of this age, failed to play, and it was a competition with many variables, with ace Kang Sang-yoon (Jeonbuk Hyundai) leaving due to injury from the first game of the competition. However, even considering various negative factors, the bigger problem was that coach Lee Min-sung's tactical colors were not properly revealed throughout the tournament. It is in the same context that they lost one after another against a two-year-old team, rather giving up the lead.
Moreover, Lee Min-sung has not made a clear outcome since its launch in June last year. Last year's 0-4 defeat against Saudi Arabia or 0-2 defeat against China combined with the Asian Cup slump, it cannot be dismissed as a simple practice game or a friendly tournament.
The bigger problem is that more important stages will continue in the future. First of all, South Korea will try to win its fourth consecutive men's soccer title through the Aichi and Nagoya Asian Games in September. However, the Asian Games are directly subject to special military service for players, and it is relatively easy to transfer to the European leagues. The wild card (24 years old or older) will also be utilized to boost power. Even Japan, the host country, plans to play a U-21 national team without a wild card, so South Korea is likely to win the Asian Games gold medal. Hwang Sun-hong, who was completely defeated by Japan, two years younger, 0-3 in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup, also won the gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou (China) Asian Games held the following year.
However, passing the qualifying round for the Los Angeles (LA) Olympics, which will be held two years later, is a problem. The 2028 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, which also serves as the Olympic qualifying round, will see Japan and Uzbekistan's U-21 teams, which beat South Korea in this tournament, grow as they are and participate as the U-23 team. The growth of other Asian teams such as China and Vietnam, which have reached the final for the first time in history, cannot be ignored.
Moreover, there are only two tickets to the men's soccer finals at the LA Olympics allocated to Asia. As the number of men's soccer teams participating in the LA Olympics has decreased from 16 teams to 12, the number of tickets allocated to Asia has also decreased. Only two teams that will reach the final at the 2028 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, which will also serve as qualifiers for the LA Olympics, will head to the Olympics. Korea has not even reached the final for three consecutive tournaments.
South Korea failed to advance to the 2024 Paris Olympics after losing to Indonesia in the quarterfinals of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup after a penalty shootout. The failure of Korean soccer to advance to the Olympic finals was a disaster for the first time in 40 years, and now the possibility of a second consecutive increase in the failure to advance to the Olympic finals cannot be ruled out. Lee Min-sung's anxiety has increased through this Asian Cup.
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*This content was translated by AI.
