Um Ji-sung Explosive Hat Trick: A Strong Start Toward Fourth Consecutive Title

[Anchor]

The men's national football team, challenging for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal, defeated Qatar 4-1 in their opening group stage match. Um Ji-sung led the victory by scoring a hat trick with three goals in the first half alone.

Reporter Hong Seok-jun has more from Nagoya.

[Reporter]

Amidst an unexpected situation where the buses carrying both teams arrived at the stadium 30 minutes late due to a driver's mistake, and under adverse conditions of pouring heavy rain, European-based players Um Ji-sung, Bae Jun-ho, and Yang Hyun-jun—who were members of the North and Central America World Cup squad—started as second-line attackers to target Qatar.

Among them, Um Ji-sung, wearing the number 7 jersey symbolizing the team's ace, put on a one-man show.

In the 7th minute of the first half, when defender Kim Ji-soo delivered a long pass, Um penetrated the space behind the defense and scored the opening goal with a sharp shot. In the 20th minute of the first half, he intercepted an opponent's pass and slotted it into the corner of the net for his second goal, celebrating joyfully.

Um's momentum continued.

During stoppage time in the first half, he calmly shook off a defender inside the penalty box and opened the net once again to complete his hat trick.

Fueled by Um's performance, the national team finished the first half with a 3-0 lead, and in the 21st minute of the second half, forward Kim Myung-jun sealed the victory by cleanly finishing Yang Hyun-jun's cross.

Although they conceded a goal later due to defensive shakiness, they secured a comfortable victory with a three-goal margin.

Having previously faced criticism for sluggish performances, the national team successfully rebounded from their very first match, making a powerful start toward their fourth consecutive championship.

[Um Ji-sung / Asian Games Men's National Football Team Midfielder: There were some difficulties adapting to external factors, and I think things clicked well from the beginning, which led to a good result.]

Placed in Group D—the only group among the four groups to feature three countries—Team Lee Min-sung has taken a giant step toward the quarterfinals. After taking a six-day rest to fully recover their stamina, they will face Saudi Arabia next Tuesday to compete for the top spot in the group.

(Video Journalist: Yang Doo-won, Video Editing: Ha Seong-won)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.