South Korea Beats Saudi Arabia to Reach Quarterfinals as Group Leaders, Avoiding Tough Path

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The men's national football team, aiming for its fourth consecutive Asian Games title, defeated Saudi Arabia to advance to the quarterfinals as the top team in their group. They will face Vietnam in the quarterfinals the day after tomorrow (the 25th).

Reporter Lee Jeong-Chan has the details.

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Having secured their spot in the quarterfinals after just one match a week earlier following a dominant 4-1 victory over Qatar, the national team had a somewhat shaky start in their second match against Saudi Arabia.

They conceded consecutive shots to an opponent composed entirely of players under 21 without any wildcard selections, and failed to capitalize even after taking control of the match.

Continuing this frustrating flow, the national team finally broke the deadlock in the second half by dominating aerial duels.

In the 22nd minute of the second half, a free kick delivered by "ace" Eom Ji-sung was headed in by Gangwon's 186cm tall defender Shin Min-ha for the opening goal, and two minutes later, forward Kim Myung-jun similarly finished off a cross from Bae Hyun-seo with a header.

This marks Kim Myung-jun's second consecutive game with a goal.

Having seized the momentum, the national team brought in Lee Young-jun, who joined the squad late the previous day, to help him adapt, and maintained their 2-0 lead until the end to secure first place in the group with two consecutive wins.

[Kim Myung-jun / U-23 Football National Team Forward: Things didn't entirely go as we prepared, but I think we were able to recover well, fight as one team, and achieve this result.]

As a result, the national team will avoid facing the formidable Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals the day after tomorrow, instead playing against Vietnam, and significantly increasing the likelihood of avoiding the host nation Japan, the heavy favorite to top Group A, until the final.

[Lee Min-sung / U-23 Football National Team Head Coach: You may want good performance and results, but from now on, I think we need to play with a clear purpose of delivering results.]

Captain Lee Gi-hyuk, who complained of pain in his shin during the match, fortunately avoided a major injury.

(Video taken by Choi Dae-woong | Video edited by Park Gi-deok)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.