“I’ll only look at Kuwait, we’ll remain the winning team after 90 minutes tomorrow.” AG’s first three-game losing streak, Hwang Sun-hong’s pledge
The South Korea Under-24 Men’s National Team, coached by Hwang Sun-hong, will open their Group E campaign at the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 against Kuwait at 8:30 p.m. (KST) at Jinhua Stadium in Zhejiang, China. They will then play Thailand on Nov. 21 and Bahrain on Nov. 24.
Hwang Sun-hong arrived in Hangzhou on Nov. 16 and is currently undergoing acclimatization training. Lee will join the team on Sept. 19 after Paris Saint-Germain’s 2023-24 UEFA Champions League match against Dortmund.굿모닝토토
The team had its final warm-up at Aiching High School on the evening of the 18th. Head coach Hwang Sun-hong, his coaching staff and the players are sweating it out as one to become the first team to win three consecutive Asian Games gold medals.
South Korea won back-to-back gold medals in Incheon 2014 and Jakarta-Palembang 2018. Previously, Taiwan (1954, 1958), Burma (now Myanmar 1966, 1970), and Iran (1998, 2002) have won back-to-back titles, but no country has ever won three in a row.
The lineup for the tournament features a number of talented players from Dongnai University. Uhm Won-sang (Ulsan Hyundai), Cho Young-wook (Gimcheon Sangmu) and Song Min-gyu (Jeonbuk Hyundai) are joined by European players Hong Hyun-seok (KAA Gent), Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart), Lee Han-beom (Wilt Miran) and Park Kyu-hyun (Dynamo Dresden). The wild cards are captain Baek Seung-ho, Park Jin-seop (Jeonbuk) and Seol Young-woo (Ulsan), who will add strength to Hwang Sun-hong.
“The first game is tomorrow,” said Hwang Sun-hong, who spoke to reporters before training. We want to win, and we have to win. We will win. If the players keep their composure and play with patience, rather than being in a hurry and feeling pressure, they will win. I hope you will support us.”
While this will be Hwang’s first game in three straight matches, it will also be the first for the entire Korean team. The team needs a win to boost their morale.
“It’s a lot of pressure,” Hwang said, adding, “I understand that. The morale of the country is at stake, and I will do my best to give my players good energy as they represent their country.”
“The first game is always difficult, and we have a lot of plans in mind. I think it will be a difficult match, but our goal is to win. We will go for the win. At the end of 90 minutes, we will be the victorious team.”
Going for a third straight title will require a smooth ride through seven stages: the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, quarterfinals, and the final, not to mention the three qualifying matches. However, Hwang has only the first match against Kuwait on his mind.
“The second and third matches are important, but I think the first match is the most important. We will give it our all tomorrow. I’m thinking about the second game, but I’m only looking at tomorrow’s game,” he said.
“We’re starting to put one foot in front of the other. You think every game is a final, but it’s important to be calm. We are emphasizing the psychological aspect and calmness to the players,” he said, adding, “We will have to adapt to the local conditions during the qualifiers.”