There was certainly cause for concern, but when the lid was lifted, it was perfect.
The South Korean men’s national football team, led by Hwang Sun-hong, came from behind to win the men’s football gold medal at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games with a 2-1 victory over Japan on Sunday (July 7) at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
South Korea has won three consecutive titles, starting with the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, followed by the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games and now this one. This is a first in the history of Asian Games soccer, which dates back to the 1951 New Delhi Asian Games.
In addition, South Korea won the gold medal with a perfect 7-0 record for the first time in nine years since 2014. Five years ago, the team suffered a shock 1-0 loss in Palembang, Jakarta.
Prior to the Games, the view of Hwang Sun-hong was not favorable. There were questions about Hwang’s leadership and player selection process, as well as the team’s monotonous play.
However, once the Asian Games began, these concerns were quickly dispelled. A 9-0 win over Kuwait and a 4-0 victory over Thailand erased the win-and-lose formula. The final group game against Bahrain followed, with a 3-0 win and a clean sheet in three games.
Hwang’s momentum continued in the final tournament. They thrashed Kyrgyzstan 5-1 in the round of 16 and swept aside China 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Uzbekistan, their most intimidating opponent, was defeated 2-1 in the quarterfinals. In a repeat of the final five years ago, Japan threatened, conceding the first goal of the game, but eventually came back to win 2-1.
Hwang Sun-hong made the prospect of relying on Lee Kang-in look ridiculous. Hwang Jae-won, Seol Young-woo, Park Kyu-hyun, and other fullbacks on the left and right, as well as a solid midfield centered on Baek Seung-ho and Hong Hyun-seok, were the keys to South Korea’s rise.
In addition, Jung Woo-young and Cho Young-wook had a keen eye for goal, while Park Jae-yong and Ahn Jae-joon, who were considered the weakest link in the forward line, proved why they were called up with their height and speed in every game.
The midfield defense of Lee Han-beom and Park Jin-seob was like an impenetrable shield.
On the contrary, Lee Kang-in, who had just come back from injury, didn’t make much of an impact. There were flashes of brilliance, but he didn’t 안전놀이터 seem to be at his best yet, but it didn’t really affect the team’s performance. The other players were more than up to the task.
Jung Ho-yeon, Ko Young-joon, Song Min-kyu, and Uhm Won-sang came in at the right time and performed at their best. All in all, it was a perfect tournament for Hwang.
The Taegeuk Warriors, led by Hwang, became the first Asian team to win three consecutive Asian Games titles. They accomplished what Taiwan, Myanmar (Burma), and Iran had tried and failed to do. Gold medals, military service benefits, and history. Hwang Sun-hong was the most complete team in the competition.