“I don’t usually get angry very often. But at that time, I got a little angry.”
The Korean Asian Games national football team, led by coach Hwang Seon-hong, played against Uzbekistan in the semifinals of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China at 9 p.m. on the 4th (Korean time), winning 2-1 and facing Japan in the final. We ended up fighting.
Korea is showing the best balance between offense and defense in this tournament. They scored 25 goals in 6 games and only conceded 2 goals.
The game against Uzbekistan was much rougher than expected. Uzbekistan, which is considered one of the strong contenders for winning this tournament, has a physical condition of ‘post-Asian’ level due to its fast speed and athletic ability.
It wasn’t just the physical fight that was good. He also had good guts. Throughout the game, he attempted reckless tackles that would have resulted in a warning or even a direct expulsion in any other stage. Korean players screamed one after another as they were hit in the face with elbows and fell down after injuring their ankles.
Korea’s side striker Eom Won-sang injured his ankle in the 17th minute of the second half due to a malicious tackle from the opponent and was eventually replaced early on. Immediately after the end of the game, Eom Won-sang was seen heading to the team bus in the mixed zone with the back of a Korean Football Association staff member.
The goalkeeper position was no exception. Lee Gwang-yeon, who guarded the goal that day, struggled to protect the team’s lead.토토사이트
Lee Kwang-yeon, whom we met after the game, said, “Originally, my goal was to win without conceding any goals. I will do my best to avoid conceding any goals.”
At the end of the second half, Lee Kwang-yeon stepped forward to protect Lee Han-beom, who fell after getting tangled up with an Uzbek player in front of the Korean goal. A close call occurred, but the referee separated the two.
Lee Kwang-yeon explained, “I think I did it because I wanted to protect the team. When I saw Lee Han-beom, the opponent was in danger. I don’t usually get angry. I think I was angry at that time.”
Throughout the game, Lee Kwang-yeon watched his teammates fall from the back of the stadium due to the opponent’s rough play. He said, “Honestly, when I heard the players screaming, the team naturally got angry. As a goalkeeper, I kept trying to find my composure because I was at the very back.”
He continued, “I was constantly nervous and paying attention because the ball could come at any time. When my team was in a dangerous situation right in front of the goal, I wanted to protect my team.”
Lee Gwang-yeon added, “I’m most worried about (Eom) Won-sang. Other than that, the other players said they were okay. I’m glad.”
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