Korea nabs stoppage time winner to beat UAE 1-0 at U-23 Asian Cup

Lee Young-joon scored a late-game header to lead Korea to a 1-0 win over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their first group stage game of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday.

Korea's Lee Young-joon celebrates scoring a goal during an AFC U-23 Asian Cup match against the United Arab Emirates at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

Lee Young-joon scored a stoppage-time winner to lead Korea to a 1-0 win over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their first group stage game of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday.

Korea were more lethal when breaking forward in their start to the tournament, an Olympic qualifier. The top three teams book direct tickets to Paris.

The young Taeguk Warriors had 73 percent ball possession and recorded 16 shots during the game, but the two goals that found the back of the net were both canceled by VAR.

The UAE, meanwhile, played defensively, with players marking Korean forwards for the majority of the game and trying to score through counterattacks.

The UAE also lacked goal decisiveness, however, with none of their three shots going on target.

With the score at 0-0, forward Lee broke the deadlock in the 94th minute, heading in the ball from a corner that sealed the 1-0 win.

His individual performance was worth noting, not solely for the goal, but for his ability to win aerial duels and dominate opponents.

The victory came despite the absence of Europe-based players like Stoke City midfielder Bae Jun-ho, Brentford defender Kim Ji-soo and Celtic midfielder Yang Hyun-jun, whose clubs refused to release them for the tournament due to the ongoing European football schedule. The Asian Cup doesn’t run during a FIFA international break.

Midfielders Hong Si-hoo and Kim Dong-jin and versatile player Choi Kang-min are in the squad instead. The squad played well with solid cohesion, despite losing their final tune-up game 1-0 against Saudi Arabia on April 9.

Tuesday’s win could take some pressure off Korea in what manager Hwang Sun-hong called the “group of death.” Korea have two remaining matches against China and age-old rivals Japan.

Korea's Hwang Jae-won, right shoots during an AFC U-23 Asian Cup match against the United Arab Emirates at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

Diversifying attack patterns and improving goal decisiveness will be crucial for Korea in the remaining games.

Korea displayed cohesion against the UAE with smooth build-ups and accurate crosses, but their attacks were concentrated on the left side of the pitch.

Finding a better solution to a sturdy defense where multiple defenders mark a single player would also be necessary if Korea were to avoid a performance where they barely manage to score a goal even with multiple chances like in Tuesday’s match.

With three points in hand, Korea are tied for first place with Japan in Group B. China and the UAE are tied in third with one loss apiece. The winners and runners-up from each group reach the quarterfinals.

While the top three finishers in the Asian Cup directly earn berths at the Paris Olympics, the fourth-placed team must win a playoff against Guinea to qualify for the Games.

Korea has been successful in previous Olympic qualifiers, having set the record of the only team to have qualified for the Games nine straight times.

Punching a ticket to the Olympics for a 10th straight time would be another achievement for Hwang, who won Korea a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year.

Hwang could make some changes to the starting XI in Friday’s game against China, who are well-known for an aggressive approach.

The U-23 squad, which at the time had some 24-year-old players on its roster due to the one-year delayed Asian Games, played China in two friendlies last year, picking up a win and a loss and a handful of injuries.

Minnesota United midfielder Jeong Sang-bin, who joined the squad on Monday, also gives Hwang an option for different tactics for Friday’s match.

Following the game against China, Korea will play the last group stage match against Japan on April 22.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]