[Asian Games] Soccer 3 Consecutive Wins Achieved... Hwang Sunhongho, 2-1 Comeback Victory Over Japan (Summary)

Conceded Early Goal in 2 Minutes but Took Control Instead
Jung Woo-young's Equalizer 'Becomes Top Scorer'... Jo Young-wook's Go-Ahead Goal

The U-24 football team led by coach Hwang Sun-hong achieved a thrilling comeback victory against Japan, securing their third consecutive Asian Games title.

On the 7th, Hwang Sun-hong's team won 2-1 in a comeback against Japan in the men's football final of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held at Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China. Although they conceded an early goal in the 2nd minute of the first half, Jeong Woo-young scored the equalizer in the 27th minute of the first half, and Jo Young-wook netted the winning goal in the 11th minute of the second half.

Coach Hwang Sun-hong positioned Jo Young-wook as the center forward, with Jeong Woo-young, Go Young-jun, and Lee Kang-in as the attacking midfielders. The midfield was composed of Baek Seung-ho and Jeong Ho-yeon, while the back four consisted of Park Kyu-hyun, Park Jin-seop, Lee Han-beom, and Hwang Jae-won. Goalkeeper Lee Kwang-yeon guarded the net.

Right after the start of the first half, they conceded the opening goal. Uchino Kotaro, who scored the most goals for Japan in this tournament, found the net. Sato Kein advanced down the left flank and delivered a cross, which connected to Shigemi Masato in the center of the penalty box. Shigemi passed the ball to Uchino on the right, who calmly finished with a right-footed shot into the Korean goal. This was Uchino’s fourth goal of the tournament.

Despite conceding the first goal, Korea controlled the flow of the game. Showing fierce determination, Korea pressed Japan strongly and took the initiative.

Jung Woo-young of the South Korean national football team scores an equalizing header in the 27th minute of the first half during the men's football final against Japan at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China on the 7th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The equalizer came in the 27th minute of the first half. Baek Seung-ho received the ball inside the penalty box and attempted a left-footed shot while dribbling, but the ball hit the opposing defensive wall and bounced out. Hwang Jae-won collected the ball outside the penalty box and delivered a cross, which Jeong Woo-young met with a header. The ball precisely hit the upper left corner, out of reach of the Japanese goalkeeper. This was Jeong Woo-young’s eighth goal of the tournament.

After leveling the score, Korea’s offensive pressure intensified. Two minutes later, Jeong Woo-young sent a cross from the right, which Jo Young-wook connected with a header, but the Japanese goalkeeper made a save.

Korea ended the first half tied 1-1 and scored the go-ahead goal in the 11th minute of the second half. Hwang Jae-won intercepted the ball in midfield and aggressively advanced near the opponent’s penalty box, then passed to Jeong Woo-young charging through the center. Jeong contested with two defenders in the penalty box, and the ball that came loose during the challenge was picked up by Jo Young-wook, who scored.

Korea national football team player Jo Young-wook is cheering after scoring the go-ahead goal in the 11th minute of the second half during the men's football final against Japan at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China, on the 7th of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

After taking the 2-1 lead, Korea did not ease their attacking pressure. They created several opportunities to score a decisive goal and continued to press Japan.

In the 37th and 38th minutes of the second half, Ahn Jae-jun and Eom Won-sang consecutively threatened the Japanese goal with shots. Japan ultimately failed to mount a proper counterattack and ended the match in disappointment.

Korea won the gold medal by defeating Japan 2-1 for the second consecutive Asian Games, following the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.

Korea extended their record to three consecutive Asian Games titles and increased their total number of championships to six, widening the gap with second-place Iran, which has four titles.

The head-to-head record against Japan in the Asian Games now stands at 8 wins and 1 loss. Since their 3-2 victory over Japan in the quarterfinals of the 1994 Hiroshima Games, Korea has recorded five consecutive wins against Japan in the Asian Games.

Hwang Sun-hong’s team scored 27 goals and conceded only 3 in seven matches during this tournament, achieving an undefeated championship. Jeong Woo-young exploded with 8 goals to become the top scorer.

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