Lee Min-sung, coach of Korea's under-23 (U-23) national team, vowed readiness ahead of the showdown with Australia.
Lee Min-sung's U-23 team will clash with Australia in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 tournament at King Abdullah Sports City Hall in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the 18th at 12:30 a.m. (all times Korea time).
Korea advanced to the quarterfinals as second in Group C, while Australia topped Group D. Lee Min-sung's side managed only one win, one draw and one loss in the group stage. They played a frustrating match against Iran and drew 0-0, allowed Lebanon to take the lead twice before coming back to win 4-2, and then bowed their heads after a 0-2 defeat to Uzbekistan, who are two years younger, in the final match on the 13th.
In fact, it would not have been surprising if they had been eliminated in the group stage. Korea could have advanced as group winners with just a draw in the final match, but a poor performance against Uzbekistan pushed them to the brink of elimination. If Iran had beaten Lebanon, Korea might have fallen to third place in the group. Thanks to Lebanon beating Iran 1-0, they barely survived by the calculation of possibilities.
Australia beat Iraq 2-1 in the third round of Group D to finish first in the group. They raised concerns after collapsing to China on a single set piece, but they showed resilience by beating Thailand and Iraq. In fact, China also had a strong chance to top the group. However, China struggled in the final match against Thailand and settled for a 0-0 draw, finishing second behind Australia.
As a result, China will meet Uzbekistan, the winner of Group C, in the quarterfinals instead of Korea. Voices in China say it is regrettable because they should have faced Korea. Sina Sports argued, "Since Korea lost both previous meetings last year, if they meet China it will be a tough match. The Chinese national team leads the Korean national team in squad stability and tactical organization."
It is a hard-to-refute assessment for Korea as well, because the performance against Uzbekistan was disappointing. Korea suffered from a lack of scoring and struggled to find a way forward, and the players' concentration was also lax.
That day Korea recorded only one shot on target in 90 minutes, and both their buildup and defensive organization were frankly failing grades. Nor could one find the fighting spirit of players taking the initiative, putting in extra effort, and engaging in physical battles.
KBS commentator Lee Young-pyo sighed, "It was the worst performance I've seen in recent years. It's hard to point to a single reason," and added, "The most shocking thing was the reaction after conceding the first goal. To score, players must actively join the attack, move proactively and engage in physical battles, but that passion was not sufficiently visible."
After the match, Lee Min-sung also could not smile about the 'lucky quarterfinal.' When asked about the quarterfinal opponent, he was reserved, saying, "First, it is imperative to identify our team's problems. Once we move to Jeddah and the opponent is decided, we will need to analyze them. Right now there are many parts our team must primarily improve. We will first analyze our team and prepare."
Lee Min-sung also said, "I don't think there's anything to call a strength from our performance against Uzbekistan. First, I made tactical mistakes. The players also seemed to have confusion when we were trying to put together the best lineup. I think the most important thing is to prepare again and get well organized."
The disappointed Korean squad is recovering fitness ahead of the Australia match. According to the Korea Football Association, Lee Min-sung's side moved from Riyadh to Jeddah on the 14th and rested without training.
Lee Min-sung declared, "Australia is a team with good organization and balance between attack and defense, and they are physically strong. The entire team will prepare well so we can show a performance that does not bring shame to the taegeuk mark." To win, players' changed attitudes and the promised movements are necessary.
[Photo] Provided by the Korea Football Association, AFC Asian Cup social media.
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