The Asian Games soccer team has just won on Chinese soil. But it wasn’t all smiles. A rough play by the opponent left star striker Uhm Won-sang down.
Hwang Sun-hong’s U-24 team won 3-1 in a friendly against the Chinese Asian Games team at Jinhua Stadium in Zhejiang, China, on Friday (Feb. 15). The U-24s will play a two-game series against China in preparation for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, starting in September. They will face China again on September 19 at the same venue. In the match, Uhm Won-sang scored a multi-goal game and Jung Woo-young scored a wedge goal.
However, the bleeding was heavy. In the 21st minute of the second half, Uhm Won-sang, who had a storming performance with a multi-goal game, was injured due to an overzealous defensive play by the opponent. She was unable to continue playing and had to be substituted. Her right leg broke momentarily, and the extent of the injury is a concern. As he went to the bench, Uhm Won-sang looked in a lot of pain even as he was being taped up. “I hope it’s not a serious injury,” coach Hwang Sun-hong said after the game.
He wasn’t the only one. China’s play was rough enough to send other players to the ground. In the 32nd minute of the first half, national team forward Song Mingyu caught his left ankle in a hard sliding tackle from an opponent. He was in so much pain that he covered his face with his hands as he lay on the field. After a stoppage time substitution, striker Cho Young-wook went down after hitting his head on an opponent’s high ball. In second-half stoppage time, Park Jae-yong was also tackled while trying to pass and was unable to stand up for a while.
There were also questionable calls. South Korea led 3-0 before conceding a late goal in the 17th minute. However, the ball was already out of bounds when China crossed from the left side of the penalty box, but the referee went ahead and awarded the goal to China. The Korean players argued for an out, but it was not granted. The game was officiated by referees from China, including Wang Di, assistant referee Mazi, assistant referee Guo Jingtao, and standby referee Xing Qi.
The South Koreans overcame difficult conditions to earn a hard-fought victory. Head coach Hwang Sun-hong deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation on the day. Cheon Sung-hoon started up front, while Song Min-gyu, Ko Young-joon, and Yang Hyun-joon supported the attack in the second line. The midfield was orchestrated by Jung Ho-yeon and Kim Bong-soo. The back four was Hwang Jae-won, Lee Han-beom, Lee Jae-ik, Lee Tae-seok, and Lee Kwang-yeon. The first half remained stagnant with a score of 0-0, but in the second half, Korea’s offense began to unravel. The first goal came in the fifth minute of the second half, when Kim Bong-soo’s ball from the halfway line found its way to Uhm Won-sang, who put her foot on it and rattled the net past the goalkeeper.
Keeping the momentum going, Korea made it 2-0 in the eighth minute of the second half with another goal from Uhm Won-sang. Midfielder Jung Ho-yeon slipped in a clever through ball to break up the defense. Uhm Won-sang took advantage of a one-on-one opportunity with the opposing goalkeeper to score her second goal. South Korea made it 3-0 in the 15th minute of the second half with a fantastic mid-range goal from Jung Woo-young, effectively driving a wedge. Despite conceding a late goal after a controversial call in the 17th minute, it was not enough to secure the win 먹튀검증.