South Korea must beat Indonesia for a direct ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This event is being held as well as the Asian qualifying round for the Paris Olympics, which will open in July. The top three teams in the final round will win a direct ticket to Paris. The fourth place will have to play against Guinea in Africa.
Hwang Sun-hong's determination to go to the Olympics in a good mood after lifting the U-23 Asian Cup trophy
The mood in Korea is upbeat. It passed Group B after winning all three games and ranking first in the group. It advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating the United Arab Emirates, China and Japan.
Notably, the team's victory over Japan instilled confidence in Korea. Coach Hwang Sun-hong changed eight players in the match against Korea and Japan, leaving only three out of the 11 starters. He neutralized Japan's offense by banking on his bold rotation and defense strategy close to five-back strategy.
The Korean team is in good condition and is preparing for the quarterfinals. Korea has boasted four goals and no points lost in three matches at this year's event. Lee Young-joon of Kim Cheon-bu, who displayed stellar performance by scoring three goals in two matches at the group league, is preparing to return to the starting lineup.
Korea has demonstrated an absolute advantage over the Indonesian U-23 national team. It has won all five matches. However, there is a "variable" in this showdown. Shin Tae-yong, who knows Korea very well, is leading Indonesia.
According to AFC, head coach Hwang Sun-hong said at a press conference ahead of the quarterfinals, "One of Indonesia's strengths is that the head coach is Shin Tae-yong," adding, "He has been with the players for a long time and Shin Tae-yong has organized the team."
"We need to control the space well so that we don't allow (empty space) to the opponent. We will make sure that there is no gap as much as possible," Hwang Sun-hong said of the selection process. "No matter who comes out, we need to play with the will to become a 'one team'."
Coach Shin Tae-yong confessed, "The players were determined to win because they were in the difficult group league. I'm glad that they showed good performance." Indonesia, which advanced to the U-23 Asian Cup for the first time in its history and competed with Qatar, Australia and Jordan, the hosts, in Group A, and advanced to the quarterfinals with two wins and one loss.
If Indonesia defeats South Korea and advances to the semifinals, it will be close to its dream of advancing to the Olympic finals.
Coach Shin Tae-yong said, "We have already made history. We will do our best to win the match against Korea."
Lastly, he said, "Korea has strength in physical strength as well. The defense is very strong, and we need to make detailed plans to break through. We need to prevent powerful set pieces from Korea."
BY: 스포츠토토
