In the quest for an unprecedented third straight Asian Games gold medal in men's football, South Korea will face the host country China in the quarterfinals Sunday.
The match will kick off at 8 p.m. at Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou.
Coached by Hwang Sun-hong, South Korea romped through the group stage, beating three helpless opponents by a combined 16-0. In the round of 16, South Korea beat Kyrgyzstan 5-1, a match that Hwang said was too loose for his liking.
Lee Kang-in of South Korea takes a shot against Kyrgyzstan during the round of 16 match in the men's football tournament at the Asian Games at Jinhua Sports Centre Stadium in Jinhua, China, on Sept. 27, 2023. (Yonhap)
Lee Kang-in of South Korea takes a shot against Kyrgyzstan during the round of 16 match in the men's football tournament at the Asian Games at Jinhua Sports Centre Stadium in Jinhua, China, on Sept. 27, 2023. (Yonhap)
China knocked off Qatar 1-0 in the round of 16 to reach the final eight, setting up a rematch of the round of 16 in 2010.
South Korea and China met for a pair of friendlies in June in Jinhua, the site of South Korea's group stage matches. China played some physical football in both matches then and left a few key South Korean players bruised.
That South Korean squad didn't feature Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, the creative engine of the team in Hangzhou. He has not yet played a full 90 minutes since joining the team for the third match of the group stage, and should be fresh for the quarterfinals.
Also on Sunday at the Asiad, the men's and women's golf tournaments will come to a conclusion. On the men's side, two PGA Tour veterans for South Korea, Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo, will try to lead their country to the team title.
Ryu Joong-il, manager of the South Korean baseball team at the Asian Games, speaks to reporters after a practice at Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Centre in Shaoxing, China, on Sept. 29, 2023. (Yonhap)
Ryu Joong-il, manager of the South Korean baseball team at the Asian Games, speaks to reporters after a practice at Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Centre in Shaoxing, China, on Sept. 29, 2023. (Yonhap)
South Korea has four men in the field, with amateurs Jang Yu-bin and Cho Young-woo joining the two pros. The three best scores of the four players will be combined to determine the team score.
The South Korean baseball team will open its competition with a game against Hong Kong on Sunday. South Korea will try to win its fourth baseball gold medal in a row -- something no country has done in the Asian Games.
Source: Yonhap News Agency