Hwang seeks third straight title, will face Japan in final on Sunday
Hwang Sun-hong’s
men’s soccer team is looking to win a third straight Asian Games gold medal, and
star midfielder Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain-PSG) is confident of a gold-medal clash with South Korea.
South Korea, led by Hwang Sun-hong, defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 in the men’s football
semifinals of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on Thursday at the Huanglong Sports
Center Stadium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, thanks to a multi-goal
performance from Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart).
South Korea will play Japan for the gold medal on Sunday.
Lee Kang-in
who started as an attacking midfielder, played until the 14th minute of the second
half before being replaced by Jung Ho-yeon (Gwangju).
Lee had high expectations coming into the tournament, but he has yet to score an
offensive point. However, he is gradually improving as he plays more matches.
“I’m very happy to win today,” Lee said in the post-match mixer. I will do my best to
have a good result in the next final.”
Lee has yet to play a full game for his country, joining Hwang Seon-Hong late in the tournament and making his first appearance against Bahrain in the third match of the group stage.
He played 36 minutes against Bahrain, 60 minutes against Kyrgyzstan in the round of 16, and 28 minutes as a substitute against China in the quarterfinals.
“My playing time is the coach’s choice, not mine,” Lee said, “I’m not disappointed at all. No matter how many minutes I play in the next game, I want to win and win the championship.”
As for his physical condition, he said, “It’s always the same. The team victory is more important than my physical condition right now,” he emphasized.
He also expressed confidence in the final against Japan. “I will do my best to prepare and hope for a good result,” Lee said.
On the day, Uzbekistan raised eyebrows with their rough play. In the process, Uhm Won-sang (Ulsan) was injured and replaced, and Abdurauf Buriyev, who made a rough tackle on Cho Young-wook (Gimcheon), was sent off for accumulating cautions.
However, Lee said, “I think they deserved it. I think we need to prepare well for the next game so that we can win,” Lee said. 스포츠토토링크
