*This content was translated by AI.
It's a loss that's only hurtful. In the end, Korea's leading goalkeeper prospect left an apology in person.
South Korea's under-23 (U-23) national soccer team, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, lost to Vietnam (2-2, PSO 6-7) after a penalty shootout in the third place match of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the 24th (Korea time).
It's a humiliating defeat. This is the first time the U-23 national team has been defeated by Vietnam. In the previous nine games, he was overwhelmed with six wins and three draws, but he failed to win the final game of the tournament and lost his pride.
The arrow of criticism went to promising players as well. Goalkeeper Hwang Jae-yoon (23, Suwon FC), who started the match against Vietnam and played full-time, bowed his head to the personal social network service (SNS) after the game, saying, "I would like to say sorry to Korean soccer fans who supported me until late."
It is interpreted as the aftermath of receiving a lot of malicious comments through personal SNS. Hwang Jae-yoon repeatedly failed to predict the direction of the opponent's kicker in the penalty shootout that continued to kicker No. 7. Hwang Jae-yoon, who seemed to have been fiercely criticized for this, said, "First of all, I was not instructed by (Lee Min-sung) coach. "It's my complete fault," he said. "I'll humbly accept everything you say. I want to say sorry again. I'm sorry," he said, repeatedly apologizing.
Still, some fans seem to be constantly criticizing. Four hours after posting his first post, Hwang Jae-yoon said, "I got a lot of calls from my post due to misunderstanding. The meaning that there was no order was that the choice of the penalty shootout direction was my choice, he said. "I will humbly accept criticism and criticism because it was my choice." "Once again, I'm sorry for bowing down."
Hwang Jae-yoon is a supernova goalkeeper who made his professional debut as a member of Suwon FC (then K League 1) in the 2025 season. It is known as the future goalkeeper's lumber, who showed no runs against Gangwon FC, which finished fifth in the season.
Even Hwang Jae-yoon was noted for his outstanding professionalism. Last October, Hwang Jae-yoon made a great defense against Jeju SK He was kicked in the head by his opponent's foot and fell down. Hwang Jae-yoon, who played an active role this month, was also nominated for the K League 1 Young Player Award in October.
In this tournament, Hwang stayed on the bench until the semifinals. wait for the starting goalkeeper Hong Seong-min (Pohang Steelers) to start with two options It wasn't until the final match of the tournament that he got his first chance to select. Hwang Jae-yoon's career in the national team was only one friendly match between Australia and the U-22 national team in June.
The prospect, who has endless potential, suffered a hard-to-wipe wound with just one appearance. It is even harsher for kickers to reason for a loss in an absolutely advantageous penalty shootout.
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*This content was translated by AI.
