From Tokyo to Thailand to Singapore, Korean football staying busy

 

South Korea's Olympic football team midfielder Lee Kang-in exercises at the Paju Football Center in Gyeonggi Province, July 6. / Yonhap
South Korea's Olympic football team midfielder Lee Kang-in exercises at the Paju Football Center in Gyeonggi Province, July 6. / Yonhap

By John Duerden

Football is showing no signs of stopping, certainly not with the recent finals of the Copa America and the European Championships.

The focus is now shifting to Tokyo and the Olympics. South Korea will finish preparations for the big event this week. First comes a clash with Argentina in Yongin, Tuesday, and then a game with France in Seoul, Friday. With COVID-19 cases rising in number, both games will take place with fans absent.

These are warm-ups for Group B in Japan 사설토토사이트 the young Taegeuk Warriors will face New Zealand, Romania and Honduras. The top two go through to the quarterfinals and, as groups go, it is not a scary one and there will be massive disappointment if the Koreans, who arrive in Tokyo on Saturday, don't make it through.

Midfielder Lee Kang-in, who was the MVP of the U-20 World Cup in 2019 when Korea reached the final, wants the gold medal.

"It's not just me; I believe everyone who enters a tournament as big as the Olympics will want to finish at the top," Lee said. "I've been trying to maximize my strengths, no matter what the situation. And I'd be ecstatic if I can help the team."

Lee is only 20, and the youngest on the team, but he has the skill and opportunity to cement a reputation that is already growing around the world.

Korean teams have a good record in the Asian Champions League and that has been continuing so far.

In Thailand, Ulsan Horangi recorded a record 14th consecutive win in the Asian Champions League. That run not only landed the team the 2020 title in December but has put them into the last 16 of the 2021 version with the minimum of fuss.


It was clinched with a 3-0 victory over Viettel of Vietnam with all three goals coming after the break. We didn't capitalize on a few chances in the first half, and during halftime, we talked about exploiting open space behind the defense," Ulsan head coach Hong Myung-bo said. "And our plan worked out in the second half, and our substitutes played quite well to help us win."

With two-time winner Jeonbuk Motors also through, and at least one of Pohang Steelers and Daegu FC going to make it, then Korea will have a healthy representation in the round of 16, due to kick off in September. At the moment, Ulsan and Jeonbuk both look like potential champions but there is still a long way to go.

That's not all the soccer either, as many of the players who appear at the Olympics will be trying a few months later in October to qualify for the 2022 U-23 Asian Cup. Korea has been placed in a group containing the Philippines, Timor Leste and Singapore ― the host of the group. Only the winner is guaranteed a place in the championships, which will be held next June in Uzbekistan.

Korea is the defending champion and will be overwhelmingly expected to take the top spot. There is much to look forward to then on all kinds of fronts.

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