Lee Chang-won, the coach of the Republic of Korea Under-20 (U-20) national team, stated that he would relieve the burden and aim to reach the final stage.

The Republic of Korea U-20 national team advanced to the semifinals after defeating Uzbekistan in a penalty shootout following a fierce battle in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-20 Asian Cup held on the 23rd (Korean time) at the youth football training BASS field in Shenzhen, China. Korea ended in a 3-3 draw, unable to decide the winner in regular time, but won the penalty shootout 3-1.

With this victory, Korea secured its spot in the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which will be held in Chile this September. The Lee Chang-won squad, which achieved two wins and one draw in the group stage, topped Group D and reached the quarterfinals, accomplishing its goal by defeating the 'defending champion,' Uzbekistan.

Korea started off unsteadily. Less than a minute after the starting whistle, a penalty kick (PK) was awarded. Hong Seong-min was penalized for colliding with an opposing attacker while coming out to intercept a long pass. Fortunately, Hong Seong-min redeemed himself by accurately blocking the shot from kicker Muhammadali Urynboyev.

Nevertheless, the opening goal was in favor of Uzbekistan. In the 18th minute of the first half, a corner kick led to Daler Tuksanov's header hitting the head of Asilbek Jumayev, who was right in front of the goal, resulting in a score.

Korea leveled the score with a corner kick. In the 26th minute of the first half, Yoon Do-young delivered a cross, which was mishandled by the Uzbekistan defense. In the midst of the chaos, Shin Min-ha calmly pushed the ball in, making it 1-1.

Korea struck again with consecutive goals. In the 10th minute of the second half, Shin Min-ha finished off a free kick by Yoon Do-young with a header, overturning the score. Additionally, in the 16th minute of the second half, captain Kim Tae-won scored with a precise chip shot over the goalkeeper, extending the lead to 3-1.

However, Korea conceded goals in the 44th minute of the second half and in injury time, letting the hard-fought victory slip away. The late match concentration was disappointing. Both teams also could not decide the outcome in extra time, entering the fateful penalty shootout to determine who would advance to the semifinals.

Hong Seong-min emerged as the hero. He became the key player for victory by consecutively saving the shots from the opposing first and fourth kickers. Although Korea faced crisis with failed shots from second kicker Lee Geon-hee and third kicker Shin Min-ha, they secured the win thanks to Hong Seong-min.

Lee Chang-won commented through the Korea Football Association, "I feel like I've aged ten years. My heart is a bit heavy right now, but there are still games left. I will prepare well for the final. I am very thankful to the players and very moved."

He also added, "(Before the match) I thought that if I said something big to the players, they would already know it and that it might be too burdensome. As expected, I saw that during the match. But the players handled it commendably and did well with the commitment to do their best for our future. Thank you."

The next opponent is Saudi Arabia, which advanced after defeating China. Ahead of the semifinals, Lee Chang-won stated, "For now, the burden is lighter. I will thoroughly prepare to bring out what our players do best without pressure. I will challenge myself once more," adding, "I believe that the players need to experience the big stage like the U-20 World Cup to grow further. It's not just about finishing this tournament; I worried about what would happen if our future was blocked, but we managed to shake it off. I am proud and grateful."

In conclusion, he said, "I feel both burdened and moved to show such a dramatic match. Thank you for your support. In the future, our 20-year-old MZ generation will take on challenges on the world stage. I hope you will continue to support and cheer for us at that time as well. Thank you for the support late into the night."

/finekosh@osen.co.kr

[Photo] Provided by the Korea Football Association.

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