Coach Lee Min-seong's "tall card" hits the mark! 192cm Lee Young-jun explodes with a header goal... Korea leads Vietnam 1-0 in the first half [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

Coach Lee Min-seong's "tall card" proved to be a perfect choice. Lee Young-jun (Grasshopper), a 192cm striker who joined the national team late, scored a header goal in his first start of this tournament.

The South Korean U-23 men's football team, led by Coach Lee Min-seong, finished the first half leading Vietnam 1-0 in their AFC Asian Games quarterfinal match held on the 25th at Mizuho Park Rugby Stadium in Nagoya, Japan.

South Korea deployed Lee Young-jun as the central striker today.

Due to his club schedule, Lee Young-jun joined the national team late from Switzerland on the 21st. He was substituted into the second half of the group stage's second match against Saudi Arabia, playing for about 15 minutes to warm up.

In the previous two group stage matches, Kim Myung-jun (KRC Genk) started as the central striker in both games. For the first knockout round match, Lee Young-jun earned his first start opportunity.

The second line featured Yang Min-hyuk (Westerlo), Lee Hyun-ju (Arouca), and Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City). Captain Lee Ki-hyuk (Kangwon) and Kang Sang-yoon (Jeonbuk) formed the midfield, while Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), Choi Seok-hyun (Ulsan), Shin Min-ha (Kangwon), and Bae Hyun-seo (Gyeongnam) lined up as a back four. Goalkeeper Kim Jun-hong (Suwon) guarded the net.

South Korea actively utilized Lee Young-jun's height from the start.

They repeatedly attacked by targeting the flanks, delivering crosses to exploit Lee Young-jun's aerial dominance.

The effect was immediate. In the 15th minute of the first half, Lee Young-jun connected with a cross from the right flank with a precise header, sending the ball straight into Vietnam's net.

This valuable opening goal came in his first start of this tournament. It was the moment Coach Lee Min-seong's deployment of Lee Young-jun proved to be a perfect choice.

South Korea continued to push for additional goals after that, launching quick attacks centered around Bae Jun-ho, Yang Min-hyuk, and Lee Hyun-ju.

However, there was a tense moment in the 34th minute of the first half. Vietnam launched a powerful long-range shot from outside the penalty box. The ball struck the goalpost and bounced away.

An opposing player near the goal took another shot that shook the net.

It momentarily seemed like the score had been tied 1-1, but the assistant referee raised his flag. The goal was disallowed due to an offside call.

This was a scene where South Korea narrowly avoided conceding a goal.

After regrouping, South Korea maintained their one-goal lead and ultimately finished the first half leading 1-0.

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*This content was translated by AI.