[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Kim Hak-bum-led South Korean team, which aimed to deliver the first victory news for our athletes at the Tokyo Olympics, suffered a setback. A shocking defeat in the first match against New Zealand has cast a red light on advancing to the quarterfinals.
The Olympic men's football team, led by coach Kim Hak-bum, lost 0-1 to New Zealand in the first match of Group B at the Tokyo Olympics men's football tournament held on the 22nd at Ibaraki Kashima Stadium in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
The team failed to break through New Zealand's solid defensive wall and collapsed after conceding the winning goal to New Zealand's 'wildcard' striker Wood in the 25th minute of the second half.
South Korea deployed Hwang Ui-jo (Bordeaux) as the lone striker up front, with Kwon Chang-hoon (Suwon) and Eom Won-sang (Gwangju) on the left and right wings. The youngest player, Lee Kang-in (Valencia), played as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
New Zealand, initially expected to use a 4-4-2 formation, instead locked down their defense with a 5-4-1 formation to face the Taeguk Warriors.
The Kim Hak-bum team struggled with a frustrating game as they could not easily break through New Zealand's strong defensive wall, which played a 'defend first, counterattack later' strategy.
The team recorded six shots and 63% possession in the first half and continued to strongly press New Zealand's defense in the second half, aiming to score.
As their finishing did not improve, coach Kim Hak-bum brought out his 'substitution cards.' At the 14th minute of the second half, Kim substituted Kwon Chang-hoon, Lee Kang-in, and Eom Won-sang for Song Min-kyu, Lee Dong-gyeong, and Lee Dong-jun, reshaping the second attacking line.
The team, which had been attacking unilaterally, was caught off guard by New Zealand's one strike and collapsed. In the 25th minute of the second half, Joe Bell's right-footed shot from the penalty arc hit Jung Tae-wook's foot and the ball flowed to the left side of the penalty area, where Chris Wood caught it and scored the winning goal with a right-footed shot from the left side of the goal area.
Wood's goal, which was suspected to be offside, was confirmed as a goal after video assistant referee (VAR) review.
The team fought hard to score an equalizer until the final moments of the second half but ultimately failed to revive their finishing and could not overcome the one-goal deficit.
After suffering one loss, the Kim Hak-bum team will play their second group stage match against Romania at 8 p.m. on the 25th at Ibaraki Kashima Stadium.
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