[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] The Olympic national team led by coach Kim Hak-beom won 3-1 against Ghana in a friendly match held on the 12th at Jeju World Cup Stadium, with goals from Lee Sang-min (Seoul E-Land), Lee Seung-mo (Pohang), and Cho Gyu-sung (Gimcheon).
The Olympic team was leading 1-0 when left-back Kim Jin-ya (Seoul) was sent off in the 38th minute of the first half. However, they added two more goals in the second half and defeated Ghana.
This was the first official match for Kim Hak-beom's team in about seven months since the three-nation friendly tournament in Egypt last November.
The two evaluation matches against Ghana this time are the last practical games the team will play before finalizing the 18-member Tokyo Olympic roster at the end of this month.
In the match, Coach Kim deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation with Cho Gyu-sung as the lone forward, Lee Seung-woo and Eom Won-sang (Gwangju) on the left and right wings, and Kim Jin-gyu (Busan) in the center.
Lee Seung-woo, who was loaned to Portimonense in Portugal until the end of the season in February, was the only overseas player among those called up to start the match.
Defensive midfielders were Jung Seung-won (Daegu) and Lee Soo-bin (Pohang), working in tandem.
The back four consisted of left and right fullbacks Kim Jin-ya and Lee Yoo-hyun (Jeonbuk), and central defenders Kim Jae-yu (Daegu), Lee Sang-min, and Kim Jae-woo (Daegu). Goalkeeper An Jun-su (Busan) guarded the net.
The team succeeded in opening Ghana’s goal in the 17th minute of the first half. Kim Jin-gyu’s corner kick from the opponent’s left side deflected off Lee Yoo-hyun’s head and went backward. Lee Yoo-hyun kept the ball alive and crossed from the right flank. Then, Lee Sang-min, who had joined the attack, headed the ball in front of the goal, shaking the net.
The team did not ease up on the attack. In the 33rd minute, Kim Jin-gyu broke free from pressure by two defenders with individual skill and fired a right-footed shot from the right side of the penalty arc, which narrowly missed the goalpost.
However, in the 38th minute, Kim Jin-ya was sent off. While trying to stop Samuel Abby-Ashie Quaye, who was dribbling the ball in the opponent’s half, Kim stepped on his ankle after the ball slipped away. The referee showed a red card after a video assistant referee (VAR) review.
Despite being a man down, the team maintained a 1-0 lead at the end of the first half, with Cho Gyu-sung’s right-footed shot from the right side of the arc hitting the goalkeeper’s fingertips during stoppage time.
At the start of the second half, Coach Kim substituted Lee Soo-bin and Lee Yoo-hyun for fullback players Seol Young-woo (Ulsan) and Yoon Jong-gyu (Seoul) to reorganize the defensive line.
Then, in the 12th minute of the second half, Lee Seung-woo, Kim Jin-gyu, and Jung Seung-won were withdrawn, and Jung Woo-young (Freiburg), Lee Seung-mo, and Maeng Seong-ung (Anyang) were brought on.
Coach Kim’s substitution paid off with a goal one minute later. Maeng Seong-ung took a free kick from the right side of the opponent’s penalty area, and Lee Seung-mo, positioned in front of the goal, connected with a right-footed non-stop shot that hit the post and bounced out, but Lee Seung-mo followed up with a left-footed finish to score.
In the 20th minute of the second half, Cho Gyu-sung received a pass from Seol Young-woo with his back to the opponent’s defense in the center of the penalty box and finished with a right-footed turning shot, further tipping the balance.
The team then used all seven available substitutions, bringing on Cho Young-wook (Seoul) for Eom Won-sang and Lee Ji-sol (Daejeon) for Lee Sang-min.
In the 30th minute of the second half, after a cross pass from Kim Jae-woo was intercepted, Samuel Ogbeng Jiaba scored a consolation goal for Ghana. However, the team continued to press Ghana and, despite missing several additional scoring chances, finished the match with a two-goal victory.
Meanwhile, the team will play one more evaluation match against Ghana at the same venue on the 15th.
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