'Kim Taewon Theater Equalizer' Lee Changwonho Draws with Japan... Advances to Quarterfinals as Group 1st

First Place in Group D with 2 Wins and 1 Draw, 7 Points... Japan Finishes Second
Battle for Semifinal Spot Against Uzbekistan on the 23rd

The South Korean U-20 national football team, led by coach Lee Chang-won, drew with their long-standing rival Japan in the final group stage match of the 2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-20 Asian Cup, thanks to a 'dramatic equalizer' by Kim Tae-won (Portimonense) just before the end. With this result, South Korea secured first place in the group and advanced to the quarterfinals. Their opponent in the quarterfinals is Uzbekistan.

U-20 National Team Kim Tae-won Photo by Yonhap News

On the 20th (Korean time), the national team played their third match in Group D of the tournament at the Youth Training Stadium in Shenzhen, China, ending in a 1-1 draw against Japan. Having already secured a spot in the quarterfinals by defeating Syria (2-1) and Thailand (4-1) consecutively, the South Korean team added one more point to finish the group stage with 2 wins and 1 draw, remaining undefeated. The quarterfinal match against Uzbekistan will take place on the 23rd at 8:30 PM. Japan, which conceded a goal just before the end and lost a victory they had almost secured, advanced to the quarterfinals as the second place team in the group with 1 win and 2 draws.

South Korea also broke the trend of losing to Japan in age-group national teams in the 2020s. Previously, South Korea lost 0-3 to Japan in the final of the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup held in Thailand. Many players from that team, including Hong Sung-min (Pohang), Yoon Do-young (Daejeon), and Jin Tae-ho (Jeonbuk), are part of the current Lee Chang-won squad. South Korea had also been defeated by Japan in the 2022 U-16 International Dream Cup (0-3 loss) and the U-23 Asian Cup quarterfinals (0-3 loss).

In the renewed Korea-Japan match, South Korea, eager for a victory, created the first scoring opportunity. In the 21st minute of the first half, forward Ha Jung-woo (Seongnam) penetrated behind the defense and faced a one-on-one situation with goalkeeper Araki Rui. However, Ha Jung-woo's shot was saved. Japan, having escaped the danger, launched a fierce counterattack and opened the scoring first. In the 28th minute of the first half, a cross from Ishii Hisatsugu on the left flank headed toward the goal area was cleared by goalkeeper Kim Min-soo (Daejeon). However, the ball struck the chest of Japanese forward Kanda Soma, who was rushing into the box, and deflected into the goal.

In the dying moments of the second half, with defeat looming, the South Korean team seized a counterattack chance. Kim Tae-won (Portimonense) evaded defenders on the left side of the penalty area and fired a powerful right-footed shot that rippled the net, leveling the score.

The tournament, featuring 16 teams, also serves as the Asian qualifiers for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Chile this September. The four teams that reach the semifinals will earn tickets to Chile. South Korea is challenging for their 13th overall title and their first in 13 years in this tournament.

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