*This content was translated by AI.
Lee Min-sung, who finished the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 (U-23) Asian Cup, returned.
South Korea's U-23 national team, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, returned home through Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on the afternoon of the 25th. He stepped on Korean soil 35 days after leaving for Qatar for pre-camp training on April 22.
Lee Min-sung sought to win the title in six years at the tournament held in Saudi Arabia, but finished fourth.
After a 0-0 draw with Iran in the first Group C match, they came from behind to win 4-2 against Lebanon in the second group match, but lost 0-2 against Uzbekistan in the third group match. Uzbekistan is made up of the U-21 national team, which is two years younger, in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics. However, Lee Min-sung, who is two years older, was criticized when he lost helplessly.
South Korea, which lost to Uzbekistan, advanced to the quarterfinals by ranking second in the group after Uzbekistan (seven points) with one win, one draw and one loss (four points). At the same time, Iran (2 points) lost to Lebanon (3 points) and luckily went to the quarterfinals.
It seemed to be on the rise as they beat Australia 2-1 in the quarterfinals, but they met Japan, two years younger, in the semifinals and lost 0-1. He then lost to Vietnam, led by head coach Kim Sang-sik, who was considered one step below in the 3rd and 4th place matches, and finished the tournament in 4th place after a penalty shootout.
On this day, Lee Min-sung disbanded upon returning home. Kim Do-hyun, Shin Min-ha, Cho Hyun-tae (Gangwon), Park Joon-seo (Hwaseong), Kim Yong-hak (Pohang), and Baek Ga-on (Busan) were excluded from the team's off-season training site, and 16 people returned home.
According to Newsis, head coach Lee Min-sung met with reporters and said, "I once again apologize to soccer fans for showing bad performances and results." "We will show a new side toward the important Asian Games in the future. I hope you can trust and wait for me to develop into a better team," he said.
Asked what needs to be improved, he said, "I want to say something, but all the reviews have not been completed and I'm in a state of chaos right now," and added, "Now, I think it would be better to distribute the overall contents after reviewing it with the Korea Football Association and the chairman of the Power Enhancement Committee."
"I don't think it's that important part of the players who experience the professional league," he said of the two-year-old loss to Uzbekistan and Japan. "The first thing to do is to bring changes in the system or structural changes," he said. "We also took six players under the age of 20 this time, and they showed good performance. I think there will be a more hopeful appearance," he said.
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*This content was translated by AI.
