[Asian Games] '5 Goals' Jung Woo-young Aims for Top Scorer Title with Gold Medal

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Jung Woo-young, who plays for Stuttgart in the German Bundesliga, aims to achieve two goals: winning the gold medal with the Hwang Sun-hong-led team and becoming the top scorer of the Asian Games.

The men's under-24 (U-24) football team, led by coach Hwang Sun-hong, will face Uzbekistan in the semifinals of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games men's football tournament at 9 PM on the 4th. Coach Hwang announced that he would start Jung Woo-young along with Eom Won-sang and Lee Kang-in.

Jung Woo-young has scored five goals in the tournament, including a hat-trick in the group stage opener against Kuwait. He is tied as the top scorer with Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Maran. However, Saudi Arabia was eliminated after losing 1-2 to Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals, increasing Jung Woo-young's chances of becoming the top scorer.

Korea is challenging for its third consecutive Asian Games gold medal and second consecutive top scorer title. In the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, Hwang Ui-jo became the top scorer with nine goals.

The competition for the top scorer in this tournament is likely to be a domestic battle. Following Jung Woo-young, Baek Seung-ho, Cho Young-wook, and Hong Hyun-seok form the second group with three goals each. Additionally, Japan's Uchino Kodaro has also scored three goals.

Jung Woo-young's performance in this tournament has been very efficient. He has scored five goals in just 282 minutes over five matches up to the quarterfinals. In contrast, Baek Seung-ho, Hong Hyun-seok, and Cho Young-wook, who have each scored three goals, have played over 300 minutes. Jung Woo-young, who played for Bundesliga's Freiburg until last season, ranked first in fitness tests for two consecutive seasons, demonstrating excellent stamina. With sufficient energy reserved, he is expected to give his all in the remaining matches and secure not only the gold medal but also the top scorer title.

Jung Woo-young of the South Korean men's national football team is attempting a breakthrough during the Round of 16 match against Kyrgyzstan in the men's football event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, held on the 27th of last month at the Jinhua Sports Center Stadium in Zhejiang Province, China.
Photo by Yonhap News Agency

In terms of objective strength, Korea holds the advantage. Korea's FIFA ranking is 26th, higher than Uzbekistan's 75th. In the historical record against the under-23 (U-23) national teams, Korea leads with 10 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses.

At the Asian Games, Korea and Uzbekistan faced each other in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang tournament. After an extended match, Korea won 4-3. Hwang Ui-jo scored a hat-trick, and Hwang Hee-chan scored the winning penalty goal in the 13th minute of extra time. In a friendly match last September, the teams drew 1-1. If Korea defeats Uzbekistan, they will play the gold medal match on the 7th at 9 PM against the winner of the Japan-Hong Kong match.

‘Smile Jumper’ Woo Sang-hyeok will challenge for the men's high jump gold medal. His biggest competitor is Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim. Barshim won consecutive gold medals at the 2010 Doha and 2014 Incheon Asian Games. He missed the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games due to injury, where Woo Sang-hyeok won the silver medal.

Barshim's personal best is 2.43 meters, but his best this year is 2.36 meters. Woo Sang-hyeok's best this season is 2.35 meters, just 1 cm short. All other competitors have season bests below 2.30 meters, so the men's high jump is expected to be a competition mainly between Woo Sang-hyeok and Barshim. The high jump final featuring Woo Sang-hyeok and Barshim will start at 8 PM.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.