Slapping and secretly hitting the back of the referee... Uzbek coach claims "There was a favorable decision for Han"

Men's Soccer, Victory Over Uzbekistan 2-1
Controversy Over Aggressive Play Throughout the Match

Uzbekistan, which lost to South Korea in the men's football semifinal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, sparked controversy due to their rough play throughout the match. Uzbekistan's coach expressed dissatisfaction with the referees' decisions, claiming "there were aspects favorable to South Korea."

Basic Back Tackles and Elbow Strikes... Criticism Mounts Against Uzbekistan's 'Gangster Football'

On the 4th, at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China, the men's football semifinal match of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games between South Korea and Uzbekistan took place. National team player Seol Young-woo was hit in the face by the arm of Uzbekistan's Ulubek Khoshimov while attempting to dribble.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hwang Sun-hong, defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 in the men's football semifinal held on the 4th at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China, thanks to Jung Woo-young's multi-goal performance, advancing to the final.

However, Uzbekistan players were involved in aggressive physical confrontations throughout the match, causing controversy. In the 35th minute of the first half, Seol Young-woo fell after being hit by an opponent's elbow, and near the end of the first half, Lee Kang-in was struck on the chin by an opponent's elbow.

Especially, Um Won-sang, who started the match, fell after a strong back tackle from Ibrokhimkhalil Yuldoshev in the 17th minute of the second half and complained of pain in his leg. Although he signaled with an 'X' that he could not continue playing, Um struggled to get up and continue the game but fell again after being tackled by an opponent about three minutes later and was eventually substituted by Ahn Jae-joon.

An Uzbek player strikes the back of Song Min-gyu while the referee is looking elsewhere.
[Image source=Online community]

A scene was also captured where an opposing player hit a Korean player secretly from the referee. In the 27th minute of the second half, Abdulov Buriyev made a rough tackle on Jo Young-wook, who was running after receiving a pass. Both Jo Young-wook, who fell due to the tackle, and Buriyev, who made the tackle, lay on the ground complaining of pain. At this moment, Song Min-kyu placed the ball next to the lying Buriyev and took a free-kick position.

Suddenly, Alibek Davronov approached and punched Song Min-kyu's back once while the referee was looking elsewhere. When Song Min-kyu approached Davronov in protest, Davronov pushed Song Min-kyu near his chest area.

Following this, Korean fans criticized Uzbekistan's style of play as 'gangster football' and 'violent football.' In fact, Uzbekistan received one red card and four yellow cards during the match.

Uzbek Coach: "Referees Made Decisions Favorable to South Korea"

The South Korean national soccer team, having defeated Uzbekistan to advance to the finals, is celebrating their victory.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, Uzbekistan's coach Timur Kapadze expressed dissatisfaction with the referees' decisions, claiming they were favorable to South Korea.

After the men's football semifinal at the Asian Games, Coach Kapadze said, "We also tried hard and scored goals, but it was a very difficult match against South Korea, and we could not win," adding, "We will prepare well for the remaining match (the bronze medal match)."

Regarding the rough play of Uzbekistan players, he said, "I am telling the players to reduce emotional expressions. There is also a need for players to draw a line to some extent." However, Kapadze also said, "There were parts where South Korean players fell to waste time, and the referees made decisions favorable to South Korea."

Kapadze also acknowledged that South Korea was a strong opponent. He evaluated, "South Korea is truly an excellent team. They were significantly superior in tactics and combinations," adding, "We are still a young team and have difficulties playing against strong teams. South Korea also had more experience."

Meanwhile, South Korea will face Japan in the final at the same venue on the 7th at 9 p.m.

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