Who will win the 2020 AFC U23 Championship?

It seems that the peak of the U23 Uzbekistan players' form was in the big win over U23 UAE with a score of 5-1. So when entering the semi-final match with U23 Saudi Arabia, although U23 Uzbekistan played on par with their opponents, the forward players could not put the ball into goalkeeper Al Yami's goal, even though there were situations where the ball was only 3-4m from the goal.

U23 Uzbekistan becomes former champion

The U23 champions Uzbekistan played with a 4-4-1-1 formation with striker Abdixolikov playing as the highest striker, behind O.Bozorov. While Ljubinko Drulović decided to play a possession-based style to launch attacks, Saudi Arabia patiently dropped deep before launching quick counter-attacks. The West Asian representative played with a 4-2-3-1 formation, concentrating players in the midfield area, with only Al-Hamdan up front.

For the second time in history, Saudi Arabia U23 has reached the final of this tournament. Photo: AFC.

Abdullah Al-Hamdan became the hero of U23 Saudi Arabia with the only goal in the 87th minute of the match. The kick from 20 meters away hit his teammate and went into the net, surprising U23 Uzbekistan. This is the second time in history that U23 Saudi Arabia has reached the final of this tournament. 7 years ago, they reached the final but missed out on the title after losing 0-1 to U23 Iraq.

Absolute Power

Meanwhile, in the second semi-final, U23 Korea showed that they were worthy of the expectations of the Korean audience. Right from the start of the match, coach Kim Hak-bum directed his players to create an overwhelming situation against U23 Australia with a wave attack, layer after layer.

With a very good physical foundation, U23 Korea deployed a variety of attacks. The Korean players attacked the flanks while also combining situations of rushing straight into the middle. With perfect technique, the sharp strikers on the East Asian team's attack line could all threaten goalkeeper Glover's goal.

The "Taeguk Warriors" have extended their winning streak in this year's tournament to 5 matches and are only 1 match away from the Championship Cup. Photo: AFC

Meanwhile, throughout the match, U23 Australia only had 6 shots and none of them hit the opponent's goal. Being continuously attacked, the Australian players had to retreat deep to defend but they could only hold out until the 56th minute. Right-back You-hyeon rose up and suddenly fired a shot that hit the post. On the third time the ball hit the post of U23 Australia's goal, two red shirts entered and finally Kim Dae-won tapped the ball in from close range to put U23 Korea ahead.

With their class and experience, U23 Korea proactively slowed down the pace of the match, forcing the opponent to push up to fight for the ball. Coach Kim Hak-bum sent strategic player Lee Dong-gyeong onto the field to counterattack. Not long after entering the field, this number 10 made his name on the scoreboard with a neat control and finish, giving Glover no chance to block.

The look of a champion

The semi-final match ended with a convincing 2-0 victory for coach Kim Hak-bum and his team. The Korean U23 players have secured a ticket to the 2020 Olympics and are on the verge of winning the first Asian championship in history. They have the strength of all three lines along with the physical foundation of the warriors on the field.

The journey from the group stage, quarter-finals and semi-finals of coach Kim Hak-bum and his team resembles the portrait of the champion of the AFC U23 Championship this time. The Korean U23 team did not have any great victories, they knew how to lock down the opponent, gradually surround the opponent from afar, then find moments to defeat the opponent. The "Taeguk Warriors" have extended their winning streak in this year's tournament to 5 matches and are only 1 match away from the Championship Cup.