An injury warning was issued in Korea, which was ‘overwhelming’.
The Republic of Korea under-20 (U-20) national team, led by coach Kim Eun-joong, played Oman at the JAR Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on the 2nd (Korean time) in Group D of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-20 Asian Cup group stage. They won the first game 4-0.
This competition is a gateway to the world beyond Asia. The top four teams in the tournament will be given the right to advance to the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which opens in Indonesia in May. Coach Kim said through the Korea Football Association ahead of the tournament, “The first goal is to reach the semifinals and go to the World Cup. We have not won a championship since 2012. I will try to revive the experience of winning as a player.”
The whistle blew announcing the start of the game. Korea started to attack aggressively from the beginning of the game. However, it was blocked by Oman’s defense, leaving a disappointment. It was in the 30th minute of the first half that the tight ‘0’ balance was broken. Lee Seung-won took the opponent’s defensive ball from midfield and passed it to Kim Yong-hak. Kim Yong-hak shook Ohman’s net with a shot of a different dimension. Korea, in a good mood, widened the score with Sung Jin-young’s additional goal four minutes later. Korea led 2-0 in the first half. 안전놀이터
Korea dominated the game in the second half as well. In the 13th minute of the second half, Kim Yong-hak’s pass was connected by Sung Jin-young’s ‘one-shot one-kill’ score, leading 3-0. In the 40th minute of the second half, substitute Kang Seong-jin shook Oman’s net, but the goal was canceled due to an offside decision. South Korea scored a complete victory by tying Kang Seong-jin’s key goal just before the end of the game.
Oman was greatly embarrassed by Korea’s ‘overwhelming performance’. When Korea started scoring in succession, it countered with rough play. After the ball passed, he deliberately hit his body. He even tackled him with his feet held high. Even the commentators said it was a ‘murder tackle’. Korean players complained of pain from Oman’s rough physical fight. In particular, Kim Ji-soo (Seongnam FC U-18) and Hwang In-taek (Seoul E-Land) became the opponent’s targets. Eventually, medical staff had to be sent in to check the condition.
Korea, which had a good start, was in a situation where it was necessary to pay special attention to injuries in the remaining games.