Losing to Qatar, U23 Korea left the tournament empty-handed.
Reasonable defensive counter-attacking play helped Qatar beat South Korea 1-0 in the match at Kunshan Stadium (China) on the afternoon of January 26.
Akram Afif, a midfielder currently playing for Villarreal, scored the only goal of the match. Qatar did not have much possession of the ball, but were dangerous in quick counter-attacks. Meanwhile, South Korea repeatedly missed opportunities, especially in the second half. Coach Park Hang-seo's hometown team had to accept fourth place.
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| Afif (red shirt, number 10) deserved to be the best player of the match. Photo:AFC |
South Korea established the game from the first minute, aiming to push the ball to the wings and cross. Coach Kim Bong-gil and his team's plan encountered difficulties against Qatar's organized defense. The two teams played fiercely in the first 35 minutes of the match, not creating many opportunities.
The turning point came in the 39th minute. After several counter-attacks, Qatar scored a goal thanks to key midfielder Afif. The 21-year-old midfielder received a pass from his teammate in midfield and sprinted past the Korean defender. Qatar's first shot was blocked by the goalkeeper, but he easily put the ball into the net with the rebound.
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| Qatar won bronze medal after a tough match with South Korea. Photo:AFC |
Coach Kim had to make adjustments at the beginning of the second half when he brought on Lee Keun-ho and Cho Young-hook to create a breakthrough. Not long after, Korea was awarded a controversial penalty when referee Adham Mohammad judged that the ball had touched defender Almuhaza's hand in the Qatar penalty area. Captain Hwang Hyun-soo took the responsibility of taking the penalty, but goalkeeper Hassan dived to save the goal.
In the last 20 minutes of the match, Korea increased the tempo of their attacks and good chances appeared continuously. In a day of poor finishing, striker Keun-ho wasted many dangerous situations. Goalkeeper Hassan also played well when clearing shots from the Korean striker. Until he was defeated, the post saved Qatar from conceding a goal from Young-hook's kick in the 81st minute.
Qatar improved their fourth place from 2016. Meanwhile, South Korea entered the AFC U23 Championship finals as runners-up, but left China empty-handed. The final match between Vietnam and Uzbekistan will take place at 3 p.m. tomorrow, January 27.
