Korea's U-17 soccer team advances to Asian Cup Finals

The Korean Under-17 (U-17) football team has made a formidable leap to the finals of the Asian Cup, gearing up to challenge Japan for their first tournament victory in 21 years.

In a tightly contested semi-final match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Asian Cup, held at Thailand's Pathum Thani Stadium on the 29th of last month, Korea secured a hard-fought victory against Uzbekistan. The deadlock was broken by a sublime free-kick from Baek In-woo, whose goal proved to be the decisive factor in the 1-0 win. The Korean squad is now preparing to lock horns with Japan, who cruised to the finals with a 3-0 victory over Iran. The championship match is slated for 9 pm on July 2nd. This year's finals will make history, as it marks the first time Korea and Japan have clashed in the finals of the U-17 Asian Cup, which is now in its 19th rendition.

The Korean side is no stranger to success in this tournament, having claimed the title in 1986 and 2002. They also made it to the finals in 2008 and 2014 but had to settle for runner-up positions after losing to Iran and North Korea, respectively. Their rivals, Japan, are three-time champions of this tournament and are vying for back-to-back titles.

The impending showdown between Korea and Japan is expected to clash with different styles. Korea has scored 15 goals and conceded only four in five matches, including the group stage. Japan scored 19 goals and conceded 6. In a battle of the tournament's top scorers, Yun Do-young and Kim Myung-jun from Korea and Kohei Mochizuki from Japan are all tied, with each having found the back of the net four times.

With a current tournament record of four wins and one loss, Korea's confidence is riding high. Japan, however, remains unbeaten with four wins and one draw. Historical records reveal Korea's edge over Japan with 11 wins, nine draws, and six losses. Yet, in a recent encounter last June, Korea suffered a 0-3 loss against their upcoming adversaries. U-17 Coach Byun Sung-hwan foresees a fiercely competitive match, stating, "The final against Japan will be a stern test. Both teams have displayed their full arsenal. It will all boil down to which team recuperates better and brings their A-game to the pitch."


Dong-Wook Kim creating@donga.com