German kicker focused lighting
South Korea beat Kuwait 9-0 in the first round of men's soccer in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games at Jinhua Sports Center Stadium in China on the 19th (Korea time). South Korea won its first Asian Games victory with Jung Woo-young scoring a hat trick, with Cho Young-wook scoring multiple goals and Baek Seung-ho, Um Won-sang, Park Jae-yong and Ahn Jae-jun scoring relay goals.
German media Kicker highlighted Jung Woo-young's strong performance in the first game of the Asian Games on the 20th. Kicker said, "Jung Woo-young made a groundbreaking start to the Korean national team." Stuttgart is without Jung Woo-young. Nowadays, people in Stuttgart are looking forward to the Asian Games in China. Jung Woo-young wants to win a gold medal with the Korean national team and receive military service benefits. In Korea, you can only receive military service benefits if you make a special contribution to the country, he said. "Jung Woo-young has successfully started the Asian Games." South Korea won a great 9-0 victory over Kuwait, and Jung Woo-young's performance was great. If South Korea advances to the final, Jung Woo-young will miss Stuttgart's game until early October. Considering the possibility of serving in the military, it is a tolerable absence,' he said.
While the number of Korean players active in Europe is increasing, European clubs are also increasingly interested in Korean players' military service issues. Kicker also said in July, "Jung Woo-young's transfer fee is 2.8 million euros (about 4 billion won). If Jung Woo-young receives military service benefits, the transfer fee will rise to 4 million euros (about 5.7 billion won). If Jung Woo-young has to serve in the military, he has to leave the team without completing his contract period in Stuttgart. Jung Woo-young's military service issue delayed the transfer negotiations between Stuttgart and Freiburg. Jung Woo-young, who is active in the German Bundesliga, moved from Freiburg to Stuttgart ahead of this season, and the transfer fee between clubs is reportedly different depending on whether Jung Woo-young is eligible for military service.
Jung Woo-young was impressive in the first Asian Games match against Kuwait. Jung Woo-young scored the first goal with a right-footed shot after breaking through the left side of the penalty area three minutes into the first half. Afterwards, Jung Woo-young penetrated the left side of the penalty area in the 45th minute of the first half and scored multiple goals with a calm right-footed shot. Jung Woo-young completed a hat trick by finishing it again with a shot in front of the goal gate when the opposing goalkeeper cleared Cho Young-wook's shot in the third minute of the second half.
South Korea, which is trying to win its third consecutive men's football title at the Asian Games, will play its second match against Thailand on the 21st, with its first match against Kuwait completed with a big victory. Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), who is selected for the Asian Games national team, will play as a substitute in the first Group F match of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League in the 2023-24 season against Dortmund on the 20th and return to injury for the first time in a month. Lee Kang-in, who finished the match against Dortmund, is set to participate in the tournament while joining the Asian Games national team.