Hwang Sun-hong's match against Korea and Japan at the U-23 Asian Cup on the night of the 22nd
I laughed in the Hangzhou final, but...Finally, without the age advantage, we'll fight Japan
Only when we win the Korea-Japan match will it be easier to compete in the quarterfinals...Director Hwang Sun-hong Preparation for Comprehensive Inspection
June 12, 2022, is a heartbreaking day for Hwang Sun-hong, who leads the U-23 national soccer team.
Hwang Sun-hong at the time, who even Lee Kang-in Paris Saint-Germain, the next-generation representative of Korean soccer, was completely defeated by Japan 0-3 in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Asian Football Confederation AFC U-23 Asian Cup and packed his bags forlornly.
It was a more shocking result because Japan set up a team of players two years younger than the standard age for the Paris Olympics in July.
Japan was stronger than expected. I felt like I prepared a lot, Hwang said at the time. I will do my best not to disappoint you.
About two years later, Hwang will face Japan again in the final qualifying round for the Paris Olympics. He had a chance to avenge himself at the same event.
The national team, led by Hwang, will play the third Group B match of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup against Japan at 10 p.m. on the 22nd at Jasim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
Both teams tied in Group B along with the United Arab Emirates UAE and China confirmed their advance to the quarterfinals early.
South Korea and Japan have six points and a goal difference of +3, tied for the lead in Group B.
Although the group stage has been confirmed, there are many reasons why Hwang Sun-hong cannot concede the victory.
If they lose, they will bear the burden of facing Qatar, the host country, who ranked first in Group A with the second place in Group B, from the quarterfinals.
Since goal difference and multiple points are the same, if South Korea and Japan draw, they will see an unusual scene of a penalty shootout without extra time to determine the top spot in the group according to the tournament regulations.
Qatar has garnered two wins in two group matches, displaying strong momentum as its home team. To avoid a difficult road facing the opponent team, it only needs to beat Japan and confidently rank No. 1 in Group B.
If Hwang passes the quarterfinals, he will be able to take a step closer to advancing to the Olympics finals for the 10th consecutive time, which is Hwang's goal. Once he crosses the semifinals, he will have a chance to win a ticket to Paris.
The third place finisher in this year's event will be given a berth to the finals of the Paris Olympics. The fourth place finisher will have to win against Guinea, the fourth place finisher in the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, in order to advance to Paris.
Don't lose rock-paper-scissors is a match between Korea and Japan, but the story of the Japanese national team, led by Hwang Sun-hong and Oiwa Ko, is deeper.
With the Paris Olympics in mind, Japan operated the team early under coach Oiwa, focusing on the growth of national team players by age.
Japan, which defeated Hwang Sun-hong at the U-23 Asian Cup two years ago with players younger than the standard age, also formed a team at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year with players younger than the tournament's age limit of 24 years.
Coincidentally, the two teams met in the final, and this time Hwang Sun-hong laughed 2-1.
As the gold medal was given military service benefits, the weight division between the two teams was large thanks to the presence of European players such as Lee Kang-in, Jung Woo-young Suitgart, and Hong Hyun-suk Hent.
Japan, which had been blocked once by Hwang Sun-hong, who formed a luxury corps that is hard to see in Asian age-specific competitions, showed its potential to defeat the world-class powerhouse Argentina's U-23 national team 5-2 in November last year.
Argentina, led by head coach Javier Mascherano, a former midfielder, gave up four goals from the 22nd minute of the second half and collapsed.
On the other hand, Hwang has become weaker than at the Asian Games. Bae Joon-ho Stock City, Kim Ji-soo Brentford, and Yang Hyun-joon Celtic all failed to join the team due to opposition from their teams.
What is noteworthy is that many of the players who played when they beat Korea two years ago also participated in this tournament.
Striker Hosoya Mao Kashiwa Reysol, who scored his second goal at the time, Takashi Uchino Düsseldorf, Sato Gain Breder Bremen, Matsuki Guryu FC Tokyo, and Fujio Shota FC Machida will face South Korea at the U-23 Asian Cup once again.
Coach Hwang, who will face Japan with the age advantage finally gone, admitted that his opponent was a strong favorite. 스포츠토토
Japan is a team that has been building up its organizational strength for a long time, so if you look at the form of its organizational strength, it is the 'top' among the participating countries, Hwang said at a press conference after beating China 2-0 on the 19th. We need to find a good way.