World's First 9 Consecutive Olympic Finals 'In Sight'
Competing Against Australia on the 22nd for a Spot in the Final
On the 19th (local time), at Thammasat Stadium in Rangsit, Thailand, Lee Dong-gyeong is celebrating after scoring the winning goal in stoppage time of the second half during the AFC U-23 Championship 2020 quarterfinal match between South Korea and Jordan. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Sung-yeol] The South Korea U-23 football team secured a 2-1 victory over Jordan thanks to Lee Dong-gyeong's dramatic goal.
Under the guidance of coach Kim Hak-bum, the South Korea U-23 football team defeated Jordan 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship held on the 19th (Korean time) at Thammasat Stadium in Rangsit, Thailand, advancing to the semifinals.
Korea will compete against Australia on the 22nd for a spot in the final.
If Korea wins against Australia, they will secure a place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics finals. Even if they lose, winning the third-place match will earn them a spot in the Tokyo Olympics by finishing third.
Korea launched an offensive against Jordan from the early stages of the match.
In the 15th minute of the first half, during a free-kick situation, Kim Jin-gyu, who took the kick, delivered a low pass to Kim Dae-won, who passed it nonstop to Jeong Tae-wook. Jeong Tae-wook’s header hit the ground and bounced up, and Al-Fakouri punched the ball while colliding with Lee Dong-jun.
The ball, punched high by the goalkeeper, was headed by Jo Gyu-seong, resulting in the opening goal.
Afterwards, in the 19th minute of the first half, Kim Dae-won’s long-range shot was saved by the goalkeeper, and in the 33rd minute, Jo Gyu-seong’s nonstop volley shot went straight to the goalkeeper, as Korea continued to press Jordan’s goal.
In the 39th minute of the first half, Jo Gyu-seong created a one-on-one opportunity with the goalkeeper but missed the chance as the ball flew high.
In the second half, Jordan launched a counterattack.
In the 29th minute of the second half, Bani Atieh’s long-range shot led to a pass to Al Naimat, who struck Korea’s net with his right foot.
In the 4th minute of added time in the second half, with extra time looming, Lee Dong-gyeong earned a free kick after breaking through the right outside of the penalty area and curled a left-footed shot to open Jordan’s goal, scoring the winning goal.
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