“I don’t usually get angry, but I was a little bit angry then.”
South Korea’s Asian Games football team, led by Hwang Sun-hong, won 2-1 against Uzbekistan in the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games quarterfinals at 홀덤사이트 Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China, on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET to set up a meeting with Japan in the final.
South Korea has the best offensive and defensive balance at the tournament. In six games, they have scored 25 goals and conceded just two.
The match against Uzbekistan was much rougher than expected. One of the favorites to win the tournament, Uzbekistan’s physicality is “out of this world” with their high speed and physicality.
It wasn’t just physicality. They also had guts. Throughout the game, Uzbekistan made reckless tackles that would have earned them a warning or even a direct sending off at any other stage. Korean players screamed as they were elbowed in the face, twisted their ankles and went down.
South Korean flanker Uhm Won-sang suffered an ankle injury in the 17th minute of the second half after a vicious tackle from an opponent and was forced to make an early substitution. Immediately after the match, Uhm Won-sang was spotted in the mix zone heading to the team bus without the backing of the Korea Football Association staff.
The goalkeeping position was no exception, as Lee Kwang-yeon fought hard to protect the team’s lead.
“My goal was to win without conceding a goal,” she said after the game. I’m going to do my best to not concede any goals,” she said.
Late in the game, Lee stepped in to protect Lee Han-bum, who was tangled up with an Uzbek player in front of the Korean goal. It was a close call, but the referee separated the two.
“I think I wanted to protect my team,” said Lee. When I saw Lee Han-beom, the opponent came in dangerously. I don’t usually get angry, but I think I was angry at the time.”
Throughout the game, Lee watched from the back of the field as his teammates were knocked down by the opponent’s rough play. “When I heard the screams of the players, I was naturally angry as a team. First of all, as a goalkeeper, I’m the last one on the field, so I kept trying to find my composure,” he said.
He continued, “I was constantly tense and nervous because the ball could come at any moment. I wanted to protect my team a little bit when they were in a dangerous situation at the gate.”
Lee Kwang-yeon added, “(Mom) Won-sang is the one I’m most worried about. She said the other players were fine. I’m glad,” she added.