Korea's soccer stars close to glory
South Korea's Lee Seung-woo, left, celebrates with Son Heung-min after scoring in the semifinal football match against Vietnam at the 18th Asian Games in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Wednesday. Korea won 3-1. Yonhap
By John Duerden
South Korea's soccer team is just 90 minutes away from gold at the 2018 Asian Games and that all-important military exemption thanks to a 3-1 win over Vietnam in the semifinal Wednesday.
On Saturday, Son Heung-min and his colleagues will meet either Japan or the United Arab Emirates in the final in Cibinong, south of Jakarta. If the young Taegeuk Warriors win that then the 20-man roster will not have to perform 21 months of military service.
While the scoreline against Vietnam, coached by Korea's very own Park Hang-seo, may have suggested a comfortable win, the Southeast Asians never stopped fighting.
While Son, who was released to play in the tournament by Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League, gets the headlines and the international attention, Lee Seung-woo and, once again, Hwang Ui-jo stood out.
With the quarterfinal win over Uzbekistan, an epic 4-3 victory that went into extra time, taking place just two days earlier, there were fears that Korea would be tired. It did it seem to be the case.
Lee opened the scoring after just six minutes, the first goal that Vietnam had conceded in the entire tournament. He picked up the ball just inside the area and fired high into the net.
With the Southeast Asians pushing forward, Hwang netted his ninth of the competition so far to give Korea a cushion. He picked up the ball just outside the area, rounded the Vietnamese goalkeeper and rolled home into an empty net.
Then ten minutes after the break Lee added his second and Korea's third. The Italian-based attacker drove forward through the middle and while his initial pass was blocked, he followed up to shoot home from close range.
That gave coach Kim Hak-bom the opportunity to rest his star attackers ahead of the final. First Hwang was subbed off, then Son was removed, followed by Lee.
There was still time for a few nerves however. With 20 minutes remaining, Tran Minh Vuong curled home a free-kick past Cho Hyun-woo, returning to goalkeeping duties after injury, to keep the East Asian team on its toes until the final whistle.
“We lost the game but gave it our best shot,” Vietnam coach Park Hang-seo told reporters. “The experience will be a good one for our players however and will help them develop. Congratulations to Korea and coach Kim.”
Now Korea has to focus on the big game, for the players, the biggest game of their careers. “Whoever we play in the final, we will give everything in order to get the win,” Kim said. “We want to show the people at home what we can do and put a smile on their faces.”