▲ South Korea's Eom Ji-sung celebrates after scoring a hat-trick during the Group D match against Qatar at the men's football tournament of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at the Mizuho Park Rugby Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, on September 15.
Ahead of the semifinals against China in the men's football tournament at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, European-based forward Eom Ji-sung (24, Swansea City) has named complacency as the biggest enemy on the path to the finals.
Speaking in an interview before team training on September 28, Eom tightened his focus ahead of the semifinal, saying, "The moment you think you will naturally win, things are bound to fall apart."
The South Korean under-23 (U-23) national football team, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, will face China in the semifinals at 3:00 PM on September 30 at the Yanmar Stadium Nagai in Osaka, Japan.
Chasing a fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal following their triumphs at the 2014 Incheon, 2018 Jakarta-Palembang, and 2022 Hangzhou tournaments, the national team has assembled its strongest possible squad, including a large contingent of players based in Europe.
After defeating Qatar 4-1 and Saudi Arabia 2-0 to top Group D in the group stage, Korea cruised to a 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the quarterfinals on September 25, maintaining a perfect winning streak in the tournament.
Eom, who signaled a resounding victory by scoring a hat-trick in the opening group match against Qatar, shared, "We are training in a very positive atmosphere as we have achieved good results through the preliminaries and quarterfinals."
"It is positive that our forwards continue to find the net and secure results," he said. "I scored three goals and we won the first match, but in the subsequent games, other teammates scored evenly to secure victories. In the next match as well, we will all score together and keep a clean sheet."
He expressed strict caution regarding China, their semifinal opponent.
"The fact that China has reached the semifinals means they are a capable team," Eom emphasized. "The entire squad is well aware that they are an opponent we must never underestimate."
He added, "The moment you think you will naturally win, things are bound to fall apart. We must not grow complacent," while firmly stating, "However, if we properly execute the style of play we have prepared, we will undoubtedly bring home a victory."
As the key element the entire team must watch out for, he pointed to the "basics."
"The most important thing in a match is reducing minor, basic mistakes and guarding against complacency," Eom resolved. "Since these factors act as major variables in the outcome, I will make sure to firmly prepare the basics starting with myself and remind my teammates well."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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