Japan U23 national team produced their best performance to defeat Korea Republic U23 national team with a score of 3-0 in the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2022 quarter-final at Pakhtakor Stadium, Tashkent.
Both teams made a number of changes to their starting lineups from their final group stage fixtures, but what was most surprising was Korea Republic head coach Hwang Sun-hong fielding goalkeeper Min Seong-jun and defender Kim Hyun-woo, who were both making their tournament debuts.
After a cagey start, it was Japan who had the first sight on goal when Mao Hosoya squeezed between two defenders to collect Seiya Baba’s long-range cross, but was unable to beat keeper Min from close range in the 19th minute.
However, Go Jae-Hyeon’s foul on Yuito Suzuki less than two minutes later proved costly for Korea Republic, as the Shimizu S-Pulse forward let loose an incredible free-kick that deflected off the top of Park Jeong-in’s head, hit the underside of the crossbar and settled in the back of the net.
Boosted by the goal, Japan upped their tempo with Mao and Shota Fujio constantly threatening the Korea Republic backline, who were fortunate in the closing seconds of the first half when – with Min beaten by Mao’s effort – Kim made a goal-line clearance to keep his side in the game.
The half-time pep talk seemed to have the desired effect on Korea Republic as they started on the front foot and could have equalised in the 48th minute when Yang Hyun-jun pulled back for Hong Hyun-seok, whose goal-bound shot struck Rihito Yamamoto as Japan survived.
Korea Republic pushed Japan back into their own half and substitute Cho Young-wook squandered a chance in the 56th minute following a scramble in the box, before Yang’s grounded effort sailed just wide four minutes later.
Unfazed by the Korean pressure, Japan kept prodding for a second goal and their persistence bore fruit in the 65th minute, with Min failing to catch Suzuki’s crackling effort which allowed a surging Hosoya to tap in the rebound.
A desperate Korea Republic sent on Oh Se-hun, who was part of the 2020 winning team, in the 72nd minute and he almost made an immediate impact as he connected to Lee Kyu-hyuk’s curling cross, only to see his header roll inches wide.
As Korea Republic pushed hard in an effort to salvage the game, they were hit by a Japanese counter-attack in the 80th minute with Takashi Uchino’s lobbed pass finding Suzuki at the edge of the box, who then displayed great control before drilling his effort into the bottom left corner to seal the win and end Korea Republic’s reign.
Credit Photo : AFC
