The South Korea Under-22 (U-22) soccer national team suffered a disappointing defeat in an away match in China.
The U-22 team lost 0-1 to the host China in the second match of a four-nation friendly tournament on the 23rd (Korea time) at the Jiangsu Yanqing Olympic Sports Center Stadium. With this, the national team recorded 1 draw and 1 loss, following a 1-1 tie in the first match against Vietnam.
From the early stages of the game, the home crowd's support motivated China, which aggressively pressed forward, and in the early first half, Chen Jiesi's free kick hit the goalpost, threatening the South Korean goal. The national team developed attacks centered around Jeong Jae-sang but could not break through the opposing defense. In particular, in the middle of the second half, Choi Woo-jin and Kim Joo-chan attempted consecutive shots but failed to shake the net.
The tightly contested balance of 0-0 was ultimately broken in the 42nd minute of the second half. Taking advantage of a defensive lapse during a corner kick for China, Liu Haofan opened the scoring, and South Korea bowed its head without managing to equalize.
The national team is preparing for next year's Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games through this tournament. However, as a formal coach has not yet been appointed, former coaches affiliated with the Korea Football Association, including Lee Chang-hyun, Taxes (Jo-se) Kwon, and Kim Dae-hwan, are temporarily in charge.
The national team is expected to aim for a 'fitting conclusion' in the final match against Uzbekistan on the 25th.
[OSEN]