By Yoon Chul
Korea Times Intern
South Korea won 3-0 against host Uzbekistan at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-16 Championship Sunday to advance to the semifinals at Pakhtakor Stadium in Tashkent.
Kim Dong-jin's goal gave Korea the lead in the 12th minute, and substitutes Son Heung-min and Lee Chang added a goal each in the second half.
South Korea will play defending champion Japan, which won its match against Saudi Arabia 2-0, in a semifinal Wednesday. The other semifinal will feature Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
South Korea, which won the AFC U-16 Championship in 1986 and 2002, reached the semifinals for the first time since it last won the trophy six years ago in the United Arab Emirates.
By advancing to the semifinals, Korea earned one of four spots for Asian teams in the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Under-17 World Cup next year in Nigeria. It's the second year in a row Korea has qualified for the U-17 World Cup and fourth overall time it has earned a berth in the tournament.
Kim received a pass from Kim Young-seung near midfield Sunday and rifled a shot into the goal, quieting Uzbekistan's home crowd.
Song scored Korea's second goal in the 54th minute and Lee notched a goal in the 73rd.