The match of the South Korea U-20 soccer team against Uzbekistan could be described as the Hong Seong-min SHOW.

Led by Coach Lee Chang-won, the South Korea U-20 team could not decide the match against the Uzbekistan U-20 team at the quarterfinals of the 2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-20 Asian Cup, finishing regular time at 3-3 at the youth soccer training BASS in Shenzhen, China, on the 23rd (Korean time). Despite not scoring in overtime, they advanced to the semifinals with goalkeeper Hong Seong-min's saves in the tiebreaker.

With this victory, South Korea confirmed its participation in the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Chile in September. Coach Lee Chang-won’s team, which secured first place in Group D with two wins and one draw in the group stage, successfully advanced to the quarterfinals, defeating the last tournament champion Uzbekistan, which was the runner-up in Group C, achieving their objective.

Though they avoided the strong team Iran, Uzbekistan has always been a strong presence in age-group national teams. In fact, in the last tournament, Japan, which defeated South Korea 0-3 in the quarterfinals under Coach Hwang Sun-hong, beat Uzbekistan 2-0 in the semifinals. It was genuinely not an easy match.

In fact, the early moments of the match were precarious. South Korea conceded a penalty kick (PK) from the opponent's first attack just after the start of the first half. While trying to intercept Uzbekistan's long pass, goalkeeper Hong Seong-min collided with the opposing striker Abdugafurov Kaidarov.

In this situation, the referee ruled that Hong Seong-min did not touch the ball and pushed Kaidarov, awarding a PK to Uzbekistan. Given the nature of the tournament, there was no Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to reverse the decision. There was a risk of conceding a goal right after the match began.

Fortunately, Hong Seong-min redeemed himself. He won the one-on-one roulette battle against the kicker, Muhammadali Urinboev. The opposing kicker attempted a shot targeting the right corner, but Hong Seong-min accurately read the shot direction and deflected it with his hand, preventing a goal.

However, it was a tough situation. Uzbekistan, which was applying strong pressure, finally broke through South Korea’s defense in the 18th minute of the first half. During a corner kick, Daler Tukhsanov's header shot hit Asilbek Jumayev's head, which was right in front of the goal, leading to the opening goal.

However, after the opening goal, South Korea gained momentum. In the 26th minute of the first half, they scored from a corner kick. The cross by Yoon Do-young was mishandled by the Uzbekistan defenders and goalkeeper, leading to a chaotic situation. Shin Min-ha quickly pushed the ball into the goal, making the score 1-1.

The first half ended 1-1. The second half followed a similar trend. South Korea pressed hard, but Uzbekistan's defense did not easily crumble. Ultimately, it was a set piece that did the trick. In the 10th minute of the second half, Lee Geon-hee earned a free kick, and Yoon Do-young took the kick. His calmly delivered cross was finished with a header by Shin Min-ha, splitting the goal net. South Korea reversed the game, leading 2-1.

Uzbekistan utilized consecutive substitutions in the 15th minute of the second half, aiming for the equalizer. However, in the 16th minute of the second half, with a counterattack, Kim Tae-won received Lee Geon-hee's pass and struck a dagger goal, leading 3-1. But in the 44th minute of the second half and the added time, they conceded twice, bringing the score to 3-3.

With the victory in the tiebreaker, South Korea's first kicker, Kim Tae-won, successfully scored, while Hong Seong-min saved the shot from the opposing kicker Karimov. Second kicker Lee Geon-hee missed, but Kaidarov also failed, allowing South Korea to maintain its lead at 1-0.

However, third kicker Shin Min-ha also missed, allowing Uzbekistan's third kicker to score, making it 1-1. Fortunately, fourth kicker Kim Ho-jin scored, and Hong Seong-min saved the shot from Uzbekistan’s fourth kicker, while fifth kicker Ha Jeong-woo successfully scored, confirming South Korea's advancement to the semifinals.

It was truly Hong Seong-min's Showtime. Despite conceding a penalty kick right from the start, he redeemed himself by blocking it. He not only saved the opposing first kicker's penalty kick during the most critical tiebreaker moments but also made another save in a situation that could have dampened the team's momentum. In many ways, it was a Hong Seong-min show from beginning to end.