To the end, "We are U-21": Japan emphasizes on official SNS even after final loss... Japanese media also note, "Korea used all wildcards in U-23" [Aichi-Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

Even after losing the final, Japan continued to emphasize "Under-21 (U-21)" until the very end.

The South Korea Under-23 (U-23) national football team, led by coach Lee Min-seong, defeated host nation Japan 1-0 in the men's football final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, on the 3rd to claim the gold medal. Uhm Ji-sung (Swansea City) scored a crucial winning goal in the 16th minute of the second half.

With this victory, South Korea has reached the top of the podium for the fourth consecutive time, following the 2014 Incheon, 2018 Jakarta-Palembang, and 2022 Hangzhou Games, writing a new history as the first team to win four straight gold medals in men's football at the Asian Games.

On the other hand, Japan, which had aimed to reclaim the gold medal on home soil, once again failed to overcome South Korea's barrier.

After the match ended, the Japan Football Association (JFA) announced via its official social media that Japan lost 0-1 to South Korea in the Asian Games final.

What drew attention was the name of the Japanese national team. The JFA labeled Japan as the "U-21 National Team" in the match result image.

Compared to South Korea, which primarily composed its team with U-23 players, this left a peculiar aftertaste emphasizing that Japan had entered the tournament with U-21 players and thus faced many disadvantages from the start.

Japan centered its national team on U-21 players for this tournament in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics. Although tournament regulations allowed for the participation of U-23 players, Japan chose players two years younger for long-term Olympic preparation.

The reaction from Japanese media was similar, focusing intensively on the age difference between the two teams.

Ahead of the final, Japan's Nikkan Sports asked, "Why did South Korea utilize all wildcards in addition to U-23 players?" while explaining the differences in player composition between the two teams.

The outlet explained, "Japan composed its roster with U-21 players, who are two years younger than the tournament regulations, with an eye on the 2028 LA Olympics."

It added, "In contrast, South Korea participated in the tournament by utilizing all three wildcards in addition to U-23 players."

Furthermore, it emphasized, "South Korea can receive military service exemption benefits if they win the gold medal, which is why they called up such a strong lineup."

However, despite Japan's repeated mentions, there is no issue with South Korea's player composition under tournament regulations.

In fact, coach Lee Min-seong was directly questioned about the age difference between the two teams by a Japanese reporter at an official press conference held the day before the final.

According to Japanese media outlet Football Zone, a local Japanese reporter mentioned the age gap between the two national teams.

In response, Coach Lee stated, "It is in accordance with tournament regulations. It is merely a difference in each country's policy for strengthening their national team," adding, "Japan has a policy looking ahead to the Olympics, while South Korea also has the realistic factor of military service exemption."

He further drew a line by saying, "I think it is nonsense to simply compare them as 'we are 21 and they are 23.'"

This meant that each national football association had composed its team according to different goals and strengthening plans, and it was inappropriate to compare them solely based on the age difference.

Additionally, coach Lee Min-seong emphasized, "As we have always said, we are a team with clear goals. We will simply do our best to achieve those goals."

And South Korea actually achieved that goal.

Not only did they achieve the first four-peat in men's football at the Asian Games, but they also defeated Japan in the finals for three consecutive tournaments—following the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and 2022 Hangzhou Games—to win gold medals through this Aichi-Nagaya tournament.

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*This content was translated by AI.