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Korea beat Uzbekistan in shootout in AFC U-20 Asian Cup quarterfinals

Published: 24 Feb. 2025, 13:37 Updated: 24 Feb. 2025, 17:32

PAIK JI-HWAN
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Korea celebrates during an AFC U-20 Asian Cup quarterfinal against Uzbekistan at the Shenzhen Youth Football Training Base Pitch 1 in China on Feb. 23. [KFA]

Korea cruised past defending champions Uzbekistan 3-1 on penalties after the scoreline stood at 3-3 at the end of extra time in the AFC U-20 Asian Cup quarterfinals on Sunday, booking a ticket to the U-20 World Cup as one of the final four Asian teams.

The young Taeguk Warriors blew a two-goal lead in the final four minutes of regulation time at the Shenzhen Youth Football Training Base Pitch 1 in China, with the ensuing extra time remaining goalless.

Goalkeeper Hong Sung-min saved two shots in a penalty shootout to send Korea through to the semifinals.

Hong demonstrated his penalty-saving abilities from the start, denying an in-game penalty from Mukhammadali Urinboev in the second minute that would have given Uzbekistan an edge.

But Uzbekistan still found a breakthrough soon after, with Asilbek Jumayev heading in the opening goal in the 18th minute.

Shin Min-ha leveled for Korea seven minutes later, however, tucking in a loose ball from a corner that goalkeeper Mukhammadyusuf Sobirov failed to grab.

Korea looked more emboldened after the equalizer, creating more chances in front of goal, although the efforts did not lead to a second goal until the second half, when Shin turned it around with a header from a free-kick in the 56th minute.

Korea also showcased proactive movements with which they snatched ball possession, leading Kim Tae-won to latch onto a pass and score with a tidy chip shot in the 61st minute.

Korea's Kim Tae-won, center, scores during an AFC U-20 Asian Cup quarterfinal against Uzbekistan at the Shenzhen Youth Football Training Base Pitch 1 in China on Feb. 23. [YONHAP]

What looked to be a settled match saw a turnaround in the final four minutes, however, with Muhammadali O'rinboyev reducing the deficit to one in the 90th minute.

Abdug'afur Khaydarov also exploited sluggish defending from Korea four minutes later, firing into the net to force extra time that went all the way to penalties.

Hong stole the show for Korea, blocking the first two shots en route to Korea’s 3-1 win on penalties that sent the country to the semifinals and U-20 World Cup in September. The top four finishers of the U-20 Asian Cup qualify for the biennial U-20 World Cup.

Korea's Hong Sung-min celebrates during an AFC U-20 Asian Cup quarterfinal against Uzbekistan at the Shenzhen Youth Football Training Base Pitch 1 in China on Feb. 23. [YONHAP]

“First of all, this was the quarterfinal that we had to win in order to go to the World Cup, and I’m happy that we won,” Hong said in an video interview shared by the Korea Football Association after the match. “I didn’t know an opportunity would come, but I prepared well and I was confident eight out of 10 times when practicing the penalty shootout in training. I knew we would win it no matter what.”

Korea will face Saudi Arabia in the semifinals on Wednesday, while Japan and Australia will meet up in the other bracket on the same day.

This year is the third consecutive time Korea has reached the semifinals at the U-20 Asian Cup, with a runner-up finish in 2018 and fourth-place finish in 2023. The 2020 edition was canceled due to Covid-19.

Korea have won the Asian Cup the most times at 12, but have fallen short of the title since 2012.

The young Taeguk Warriors have still seen some success in recent U-20 World Cups, where they finished in the top four back-to-back in 2019 and 2023. The 2021 edition did not take place due to Covid-19.

Korea even reached the final in 2019, although the country failed to lift their first World Cup after losing to Ukraine.

That runner-up finish still remains the best result the country has secured in the tournament. It is also the joint-highest finish from an Asian country, along with Japan's runner-up finish in 1999.

This year’s World Cup will kick off in Chile in September with 24 countries joining the tournament.

The Asian Cup semifinalists will have unfinished businesses to settle in the ongoing knockout stage until then, with the final scheduled for March 1. The tournament doesn’t have a third-place match.

If Korea and Japan both reach the final, it would set the stage for the showdown between two age-old rivals for a second time in this year’s Asian Cup after their first clash in the group stage that ended in a 1-1 draw.

The group stage match did not see the best XI of Korea, as manager Lee Chang-won rested some regular picks in their clash against Japan that took place after Korea had already booked a quarterfinal spot.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]