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Korea lose to Japan in semifinals of Asian U-23 football tournament

Published: 21 Jan. 2026, 09:34 Updated: 21 Jan. 2026, 16:51

Kang Seong-jin of Korea, left, attempts a shot past Rei Umeki of Japan during the teams' semifinal match at the Asian Football Confederation U-23 Asian Cup at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 20. [KOREA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION]

Korea's journey at the top Asian men's under-23 football tournament came to an end in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Coached by Lee Min-sung, Korea fell to Japan 1-0 in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium in Jeddah.

Kaito Koizumi scored the match's lone goal in the 36th minute. Shuto Nagano got off an initial header off a Ryunosuke Sato corner that goalkeeper Hong Seong-min saved, but the juicy rebound went right to unmarked Koizumi, who poked the ball home for a 1-0 Japan lead.

Korea had just one shot attempt in the first half to Japan's 10.

Korea ratcheted up their attacking pressure after the restart but couldn't crack the Japanese defense.

Jang Seok-hwan struck the crossbar with a left-footed shot from outside the box in the 58th minute, the closest that Korea came to scoring in this match. Four minutes later, Kang Seong-jin unleashed a scissors kick to force a tough save by Rui Araki.

Kim Tae-won then hit the right side of the net during stoppage time after receiving a long ball from Jang.

Korea head coach Lee Min-sung enters the pitch for the semifinal match of the Asian Football Confederation U-23 Asian Cup against Japan at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 20. [KOREA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION]

Korea held a 7-2 advantage in shot attempts in the second half.

Coach Lee said he wished his team would have been more assertive in the opening 45 minutes.

"I think our players were too timid. Then we fought back in the second half and it's a shame we didn't score," Lee said at his postmatch press conference. "I hope our players will use this as an opportunity to grow."

Specifically, Lee said Korea didn't press as hard as they should have up front.

"We addressed that issue in the second half and responded well, but ultimately, you have to score to win in football," the coach said. "We have to improve in that area."

With an eye toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, also a U-23 competition, Japan took a team of 20-and-under players to Saudi Arabia, including three 18-year-olds. Korea, on the other hand, had an older group with several 22-year-olds and just two teenagers.

Kim Yong-hak of Korea, right, battles Haruta Kume of Japan for the ball during the teams' semifinal match at the Asian Football Confederation U-23 Asian Cup at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 20. [KOREA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION]

Korea played three group stage matches and two knockout matches at this tournament and failed to score in three of them.

Korea have been relegated to the third-place contest, where they will meet the loser of the other semifinal match between Vietnam, coached by Korean tactician Kim Sang-sik, and China scheduled for later Tuesday.

The third-place match will kick off at 6 p.m. Friday (local time) at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium, or midnight Friday in Korea.

"We're not going to go all-in on attack just to score goals, and we're not going to sit back and play defense the whole time to keep the other team from scoring," Lee said of his approach to the next match. "We will focus on achieving the right balance."

Korea has been trying to win their first AFC U-23 title since 2020. This was also their first trip to the last four since that year.

Yonhap