Lee Kang-in failed to hunt for his first attack point in the Asian Games.
The Republic of Korea Asian Games national soccer team, led by coach Hwang Seon-hong, defeated Kyrgyzstan 5-1 in the men’s soccer round of 16 of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held at the Jinhua Sports Center Stadium in Zhejiang, China, at 8:30 p.m. (Korean time) on the 27th. Korea, which succeeded in advancing to the quarterfinals with this victory, will compete with China, the host country of the Asian Games, to advance to the semifinals.
Korea defeated Kuwait (9-0 win), Thailand (4-0 win), and Bahrain (3-0 win) and advanced to the tournament as first place in Group E. Not only the domestic team that is dominating the K-League, but also the overseas team consisting of Lee Kang-in, Jung Woo-young, Hong Hyun-seok, Lee Han-beom, and Park Gyu-hyun are continuing to hunt for gold medals together.
The opponent in the round of 16 is Kyrgyzstan, second place in Group F. They faced a crisis after being repeatedly defeated by Indonesia (0-2 loss) and North Korea (0-1 loss), but advanced to the tournament with a complete win over Taiwan (4-1 win). Since Korea was literally overwhelming in terms of objective power, a landslide victory was expected this time as well.
Korea played in a 4-3-3 formation. Jung Woo-young, Park Jae-yong, and Eom Won-sang formed the top three. The midfield consisted of Jeong Ho-yeon, Baek Seung-ho, and Lee Kang-in. The back four consisted of Seol Young-woo, Park Jin-seop, Kim Tae-hyun, and Hwang Jae-won. The goal was guarded by Lee Gwang-yeon. The waiting list included Choi Jun, Lee Jae-ik, Hong Hyun-seok, Jo Young-wook, Min Seong-jun, Go Young-jun, Lee Han-beom, Song Min-gyu, Ahn Jae-jun, Kim Jeong-hoon, and Park Gyu-hyeon.
Kyrgyzstan fought back with a 5-3-2 formation. Aligulov and Ilyichbek worked together as the top two. Avilov, Mejitov, and Kanibekov worked together in midfield. The back five was Bekverdinov, Bakhtibekov, Kumarbai, Akhilbekov and Nurlan. Goalkeeper gloves were worn by Priadkin. On the bench sat Nusupov, Nurlanbekov, Nasyrov, Nurmat, Bekverdinov, Kerezbekov, Sarsenbekov and Toktosunov.
The spotlight was also focused on Lee Kang-in. Last summer, he left Mallorca to join mega club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and received a lot of attention. However, he was very disappointed as he was injured twice in the pre-season and after the opening. He was also fatal to Hwang Seon-hong.
As it was an Asian Games with no obligation to be selected, it was unclear whether he would participate. Fortunately, coordination with PSG was completed. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said, “As a result of discussions with PSG, Lee Kang-in’s team, he will join the Asian Games national team after his team’s home match against Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) on the 19th, French local time. “The final agreement was made on the night of the 14th, Korean time. Accordingly, Lee Kang-in will move to Hangzhou, China, on the 20th, French time, and join the Asian Games national team,” the official announced.
He continued, “After receiving an email from the PSG club on the 13th asking for permission to be selected for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games on the premise of adjusting the schedule for the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, KFA discussed with PSG until late at night on the 14th, and made a final decision. “I received PSG’s official response on the night of the 14th that it would allow me to join the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games team on the 20th without any other preconditions,” he added. As a result, Hwang Seon-hong, who is challenging for his third consecutive gold medal, embraced Lee Kang-in.
Following the game against Bahrain, Kang-in Lee also started as a starter against Kyrgyzstan. Immediately after his return from injury, he moved from Europe to Asia and it was difficult, but today was also fierce. Penetrating passes and crosses provided by Lee Kang-in with his left foot from midfield were Korea’s key attack routes.토토사이트
There was no surprise. Korea quickly broke the balance. Korea’s attack continued after Lee Kang-in’s shot in the 9th minute of the first half. Seol Young-woo fell while exchanging one-two passes and breaking through. The referee gave Kumarbai a yellow card and declared a penalty kick (PK). Baek Seung-ho, who played as a kicker, scored the first goal with an accurate shot aimed at the bottom right corner.
The gap widened quickly. In the 12th minute of the first half, Korea took the ball with forward pressure and launched a counterattack. Eom Won-sang’s cross headed toward the goal. Jung Woo-young, who had a no-mark chance, scored an additional goal by heading it in. Jung Woo-young enjoyed the joy of scoring his 4th goal of the tournament.
He went on a hunt for attack points, but unfortunately failed. In the 32nd minute of the first half, Lee Kang-in sent a long ball into the penalty box. Jung Woo-young took the opportunity by breaking down the defensive line. He hit the net in a one-on-one chance, but the referee declared offside.
Kyrgyzstan counterattacked. In the 28th minute of the first half, Baek Seung-ho gave the ball away due to pressure from the opponent. Aligulov, who broke through, completed the one-on-one opportunity and scored a chasing goal.
Lee Kang-in finished the game after being replaced by Go Young-jun in the 15th minute of the second half. As the Asian Games are held with a tight schedule, it was coach Hwang Sun-hong’s choice to control condition.
Korea widened the gap again. In the 27th minute of the second half, Seol Young-woo attempted a cross following Eom Won-sang’s shot. At this time, the ball hit Bekverdinov’s arm and a PK was declared. Jung Woo-young, who played as a kicker, completed multiple goals with a powerful shot after a calm approach. In the 32nd minute of the second half, Korea introduced Song Min-gyu in place of Jung Woo-young, who played a big role, to energize the offensive line.
The feast has begun. In the 34th minute of the second half, Korea attacked with the ball alive after an aerial duel. Cho Young-wook, who received a pass from Go Young-jun, succeeded in scoring with a low shot. In the 40th minute of the second half, Hong Hyun-seok received an infiltration pass and hit the net, reaching the peak. In the end, Korea defeated Kyrgyzstan 5-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals. We need to make up for the defensive anxiety in the middle of the game. The next opponent is China, the host country of this tournament, who defeated Qatar 1-0.