Despite the absence of overseas players, a loss would be significant... Hong Myung-bo's team predicts a fierce battle with Japan for the first championship in 6 years

[Financial News] Even though the overseas players are absent, it is still a proper A match. A loss would have significant repercussions. Above all, it would be a big blow to pride.
The Korean national football team will face their arch-rival Japan in the decisive final match for the 'East Asian Champion' title. The Korean team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, must win against Japan in the final third match of the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) held at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 15th at 7:24 PM to lift the championship trophy.
This East Asian Cup is held in a full league format, and since the 2015 Wuhan tournament in China, Korea and Japan have faced off in the final round for the championship in four tournaments, including this one. Both Korea and Japan have recorded two wins each against Hong Kong and China, resulting in a tie in points, but Japan is ahead in goal difference, so Korea cannot afford a draw in this 'single-log bridge match'. Currently, Korea has recorded a 3-0 win against China and a 2-0 win against Hong Kong, with a total of +5 goals, while Japan has recorded a 6-1 win against Hong Kong and a 2-0 win against China, with a total of +7 goals.



Korea is aiming for revenge to reclaim the champion title taken by Japan in the 2022 tournament. Particularly, there are painful memories of consecutive 0-3 defeats in the Yokohama friendly match in March 2021 and the East Asian Cup match in Nagoya in July 2022 during the Paulo Bento era. This is Korea's first challenge for the championship in 6 years since the 2019 tournament and their sixth overall, while Japan is challenging for consecutive East Asian Cup wins, a feat only achieved by Korea. Korea achieved its first consecutive wins in the 2015 and 2017 tournaments and also won the 2019 tournament, achieving a three-peat.
To win the championship, Korea needs goals, and attention is focused on the strikers' performance. In this tournament, strikers like Lee Dong-gyeong (Gimcheon), Joo Min-kyu (Daejeon), and Lee Ho-jae (Pohang), as well as midfielder Kang Sang-yoon (Jeonbuk) and center-back Kim Joo-sung (Seoul), have been scoring goals and warming up.
Meanwhile, the Japanese team, similar to Korea, is composed entirely of domestic J-League players, with 23 K-League players and 3 J-League players. Historically, Korea leads the head-to-head record against Japan with 42 wins, 23 draws, and 16 losses, but in the last 10 matches, Korea has 3 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses, trailing Japan, and is on a two-game losing streak, making this Korea-Japan match expected to be fiercely contested.

jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter