South Korea Advances to Men's Football Final with Comeback Win Over China

South Korea's under-23 (U-23) national football team is now just one win away from claiming its fourth consecutive gold medal in the Asian Games men's tournament.

Led by head coach Lee Min-sung, the national team secured a 2-1 comeback victory against China in the semifinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan, on the 30th.

As the most successful nation in Asian Games men's football history with six titles and aiming for its fourth straight championship, South Korea has advanced to the final for the fourth consecutive time, following the 2014 Incheon, 2018 Jakarta-Palembang, and 2022 Hangzhou (held in 2023) tournaments.

The final will take place at 7:30 PM on October 3 at the Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, where the national team will face the winner of the semifinal match between Uzbekistan and Japan for the gold medal.

South Korea also avenged its two consecutive defeats against China in this age group.

The U-22 team, competing without a permanent head coach, lost 0-1 at the Yancheng International Friendly Tournament in March of last year, and suffered a 0-2 defeat at the Panda Cup in China last November after head coach Lee Min-sung took charge.

However, in this Asian Games encounter—bolstered by the addition of wildcard players (over 24 years old) and numerous Europe-based players—South Korea avoided defeat.

On this day, the national team deployed Lee Young-jun (Grasshoppers) at the vanguard, with Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City), Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), and Lee Hyun-ju (Arouca) positioned in the second line.

In midfield, Lee Seung-won (Gangwon) and Hwang Do-yoon (Seoul) paired up, while the back four defense consisted of Choi Seok-hyun (Ulsan), Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), Shin Min-ha (Gangwon), and Bae Hyun-seo (Gyeongnam).

Kim Jun-hong (Suwon) guarded the goal.

Team captain and midfield mainstay wildcard player Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon) was left out of the starting lineup due to inflammation in his foot and was named on the substitutes' bench.

With Lee Ki-hyuk waiting on the bench, the captain's armband went to Eom Ji-sung.

South Korea created several set-piece opportunities early on, but was repeatedly thwarted by China's dense "five-man defense" wall and troubled by rough play, suffering an unexpected blow in the 22nd minute of the first half.

With the midfield completely opened up, Chinese midfielder Wu Xi sent a lofted pass into space from the center circle, and Wang Yudong expertly controlled it with his chest before breaking into the left side of the penalty area and firing a left-footed shot into the net.

However, South Korea succeeded in leveling the score in the 33rd minute of the first half.

Lee Young-jun headed in a corner kick delivered by Eom Ji-sung to score the equalizer.

Lee Young-jun, whose joining was delayed due to club circumstances making him available starting from the second match of the group stage, notched his third goal of the tournament following his multi-goal performance in the quarterfinals against Vietnam.

Entering the second half, South Korea substituted Kang Sang-yun (Jeonbuk) in place of Lee Hyun-ju, placing him as an attacking midfielder and moving Bae Jun-ho to the right flank in search of a comeback.

Nevertheless, as they struggled to easily break through China's packed defense in the second half, they were instead shaken by China's intermittent, concise attacks, repeating nerve-wracking moments.

They attempted to carve out a breakthrough via flank penetration, but crosses were inaccurate or intercepted by the defense, failing to make any significant dent.

In the 34th minute of the second half, Mutellip Iminqari's cross from the right flank almost led to an own goal when Kim Ji-soo attempted to clear it with a header.

Having survived the crisis, the national team finally turned the game around in the 37th minute of the second half.


Eom Ji-sung shook up the left flank before delivering an exquisite cross, and Bae Jun-ho found the back of the net with a header to become the hero of the comeback winning goal.

Subsequently, Team Lee Min-sung shifted to a defensive stance in the 44th minute of the second half by replacing Lee Young-jun with defender Park Kyung-sub (Incheon), and during stoppage time, substituted Bae Jun-ho with Kim Myung-jun (Genk) to protect the hard-won lead until the very end.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.