Korea finish second at U-17 Asian Cup after 3-0 loss to Japan

The U-17 Korean team ended their Asian Cup journey as runners-up after losing 3-0 to Japan in the final at Pathum Thani Stadium in Thailand on Sunday.

Korea's Lim Hyun-sub, center, vies for the ball with Japan's Kaito Tsuchiya during the AFC U-17 Asian Cup final at the Pathum Thani Stadium in Thailand on Sunday. [YONHAP]

The U-17 Korean team ended their Asian Cup journey as runners-up after losing 3-0 to Japan in the final at Pathum Thani Stadium in Thailand on Sunday.

The match was fierce from the start, with both sides going all out to lift the trophy.

The two teams looked fairly evenly matched initially, but disaster struck for the young Taeguk Warriors when defender Ko Jong-hyun received a second yellow card in the 43rd minute for a foul on Yutaka Michiwaki, putting Korea down to 10 men with more than half the game still to be played.

Japan then earned a free kick and made it 1-0 with Gaku Nawata’s shot finding the back of the net.

The second half saw more action from Japan, who utilized their numbers advantage to extend the lead.

Korea’s defense struggled with one man down and conceded another goal to Nawata in the 66th minute. They then conceded yet another goal to Yukata Michiwaki in injury time and ended the game 3-0.

“I was touched by the players who fought through the end on the pitch,” U-17 manager Byun Sung-hwan said during a postgame interview. “But I was sad to see the players in tears after the match.

“I confirmed the players’ abilities through this tournament and they proved on the pitch that my philosophy and the direction we seek are not wrong.”

With the victory, Japan defended their title and secured their fourth Asian Cup trophy — champions in 1994, 2006, 2018 and 2023.

Korea, on the other hand, missed a chance to secure their third Asian champion title. They last won the title in 2002 and finished as runners-up in 2014, before finishing as semifinalists in 2018.

The U-17 squad will now prepare for the U-17 World Cup, set to take place in Indonesia in November, which they qualified for by reaching the Asian Cup semifinals.

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