메이저놀이터 ‘Avenge our brothers, make Japan the sacrificial lamb’. That’s the ‘winning scenario’ for the South Korean Under-17 National Team as they look to reach the top of the Asian Cup for the first time in 21 years.
The U-17 team, led by head coach Byun Sung-hwan, will face Uzbekistan (Uzbekistan) at 11 p.m. (KST) on Sept. 29 for a spot in the Asian Cup final. Byun reached the semifinals with a 4-1 win over host Thailand in the quarterfinals on June 26, while Uzbekistan defeated Saudi Arabia on June 27 to advance to the final four.
Byun’s semifinal opponent, Uzbekistan, is a formidable opponent. Finishing second in Group D with Japan, Uzbekistan made light work of the tournament’s “dark horse” Saudi Arabia, boasting a salty defense that conceded just one goal in four games.
The team also has the task of breaking the “bad blood” with Uzbekistan. In the semifinals of the U-20 Asian Cup in May, Kim Eun-joong’s side lost to Uzbekistan in a penalty shootout. The U-17 team also lost 2-3 to Uzbekistan in the group stage of the Asian Cup qualifiers last October. For Byun Sung-hwan-ho, it was a golden opportunity to get revenge on Uzbekistan.
If they can beat Uzbekistan and reach the final, there is a possibility of a ‘Korea-Japan’ match. Japan defeated Australia in the quarterfinals on Nov. 26 to reach the semifinals, where they will face Iran, who defeated Yemen to reach the final 토토사이트추천.
South Korea won the tournament in 1986 and 2002, but have not reached the top since. The last time they reached the final was in Thailand in 2014. In a perfect scenario, a win would mark the first time in 21 years that they have reached the top of the tournament.
Meanwhile, South Korea has the potential to produce the tournament’s top goal scorer. Kim Myung-jun (Pohang Steel) and Yoon Do-young (Chungnam National University of Technology) are the tournament’s top scorers with four goals apiece.