South Korea's under-23 men's national football team has kicked off its quest for a fourth consecutive title at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a comfortable win over Qatar.

Led by head coach Lee Min-sung, the national team defeated Qatar 4-1 in their first Group D match of the tournament held today at the Mizuho Park Rugby Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, propelled by a hat trick from Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City).

South Korea, which is aiming for its fourth straight Asian Games men's football gold medal following the 2014 Incheon, 2018 Jakarta-Palembang, and 2022 Hangzhou (held in 2023) games, made a smooth start and secured 3 points.

A total of 15 countries are participating in the men's football competition at this year's games, competing in four group-stage brackets before moving on to a single-elimination knockout stage starting from the quarterfinals.

South Korea will play its second match against Saudi Arabia in a week on September 22.

Head coach Lee Min-sung deployed Kim Myung-jun (Genk) at the forefront of the attack, supported by a second-line attacking trio of Eom Ji-sung, Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), and Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic).

Captain Lee Ki-hyuk partnered with Lee Seung-won (both from Gangwon) in midfield, while the defensive line consisted of Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), Shin Min-ha (Gangwon), Choi Seok-hyun (Ulsan), and Bae Hyun-seo (Gyeongnam).

Kim Jun-hong (Suwon) guarded the goal.

South Korea dominated the match against Qatar, a squad composed entirely of players born in 2005 or later in preparation for the Los Angeles Olympics two years from now.

Eom Ji-sung opened the scoring just 7 minutes into the match, allowing South Korea to comfortably take control.

After Kim Ji-soo delivered a long ball from the back, Eom brilliantly penetrated the space behind the defense on the left side, entered the penalty box, and slotted home a left-footed shot.

In the 20th minute of the first half, Eom capitalized on an opponent's defensive error and added another goal with a right-footed shot from the center of the penalty box.

During stoppage time in the first half, Eom completed his hat trick by receiving a pass from Lee Seung-won, capping off a flawless first half for Lee Min-sung's squad.

The offensive pressure from Lee Min-sung's side continued into the second half.

In the 7th minute of the second half, Yang Hyun-jun connected with a right-footed shot off a cross from Bae Jun-ho, who had infiltrated the left flank, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper. In the 11th minute, Kim Myung-jun fired two consecutive shots following a cross from Choi Seok-hyun and a headed pass from Eom, but they failed to get past the defense and goalkeeper.

However, in the 21st minute of the second half, Kim Myung-jun finally found the back of the net with an assist from Yang Hyun-jun, firmly sealing the victory early for South Korea.

South Korea then made substitutions in the 27th minute of the second half, replacing Kim Myung-jun, Bae Jun-ho, and Lee Seung-won with Yang Min-hyuk (Westerlo), Lee Hyun-ju (Arouca), and Kang Sang-yun (Jeonbuk) to comfortably manage the remainder of the game.

After conceding a consolation goal to Mirwan Hassan due to a lapse in defense during a free-kick situation in the 40th minute of the second half and enduring a brief counterattack from Qatar, Lee Min-sung's squad successfully wrapped up the match with a 3-goal lead.