Mount Fuji Proved Too High: Lee Min-sung’s Side Falls to Younger Japan in Semi-final

[Financial News] The worst fears ultimately came true. The South Korea national under-23 football team failed to overcome archrival Japan and fell short in its bid to reclaim the Asian crown for the first time in six years. The defeat was even more shocking because Japan fielded a team of under-21 players, two years younger on average, in preparation for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
The South Korea national under-23 football team, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, lost 0–1 to Japan in the semi-finals of the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup held on the 20th at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
This loss meant more than just a single defeat. South Korea struggled throughout the first half against Japan’s organized pressing and passing game. They suffered the humiliation of being outshot 1–10 before the break. For long stretches it was effectively a one-sided game, with South Korea pinned back and barely able to cross the halfway line.

Coach Lee Min-sung kept the same starting lineup that had delivered victory against Australia. He deployed Baek Ga-on (Busan Metropolitan City) as the lone striker, with Kim Yong-hak (Portimonense Sporting Clube) and Kang Seong-jin (Suwon) on the wings to target Japan on the counterattack. However, Japan seemed to have read South Korea’s intentions and came out aggressively from the opening whistle.
In the 11th minute, a single long pass from Japan split the defense and gifted Michiwaki Yutaka a clear one-on-one chance. His shot went wide of the post, offering a brief sigh of relief, but South Korea’s shaky defensive organization continued to show gaps. A header from Kim Yong-hak in the 26th minute, saved by the Japanese goalkeeper, was South Korea’s only real scoring opportunity of the first half.
The feared opening goal eventually arrived. In the 36th minute, from a Japan corner, South Korea goalkeeper Hong Seong-min (Pohang) parried the initial shot, but Koizumi Kaito, lurking in front of goal, pounced on the rebound and fired it home. It was a moment that exposed a costly lapse in defensive concentration.

South Korea pushed forward after the break in search of a comeback. In the 58th minute, Jang Seok-hwan (Suwon) unleashed a left-footed shot from distance that crashed against the corner of the goal frame. Four minutes later, in the 62nd minute, a scissors kick from Kang Seong-jin was denied by the Japanese goalkeeper, adding to their misfortune. Late in the match, Lee brought on Jeong Jae-sang (Daegu Metropolitan City) and Jeong Ji-hoon (Gwangju Metropolitan City) and threw everything forward, but they could not break through Japan’s deep, compact defensive line. Despite outshooting Japan 7–2 in the second half, South Korea had to accept a 0–1 defeat without turning the game around.
Many observers say this tournament laid bare the current state of South Korean football. South Korea lost 0–2 to Uzbekistan in the group stage and slipped to second place in the group. They also failed to dominate against Lebanon and Iran, teams widely viewed as weaker opponents. A win over Australia briefly seemed to shift the momentum, but the loss to Japan once again exposed the team’s limitations.

Concerns are growing that South Korea’s status as a powerhouse in Asian football is being shaken, especially after exiting in the quarter-finals of the 2024 tournament and now suffering back-to-back defeats to a Japan side two years younger and to Uzbekistan. With the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya coming up in September, failure to establish a clear tactical identity and a coherent plan for generational change could become a serious warning sign for South Korea’s bid to win a fourth straight Asian Games gold medal.
In the other semi-final played later, Vietnam, coached by Kim Sang-sik, lost 0–3 to China and missed out on the final. As a result, South Korea will face Vietnam in the third-place playoff. On the 24th, the tournament will conclude with a "showdown between Korean managers" as Lee Min-sung and Kim Sang-sik meet with pride on the line.


jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter