"It Couldn't Be More Perfect": Lee Min-sung's Side Avoids Both Japan and Uzbekistan and Takes an 'Express Pass' to the Final

[Financial News] The sweet reward for advancing as group winners was a perfect bracket. South Korea's national under-23 men's football team dramatically avoided the hellish 'thorny path' and will pursue two goals against Vietnam, whose head-coach position is vacant: reaching the semifinals and avenging its defeat eight months ago.
South Korea's under-23 team, led by Lee Min-sung, will face Vietnam in the men's football quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m. on the 25th at Mizuho Park Rugby Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, during the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
South Korea defeated Middle Eastern powerhouses Qatar 4-1 and Saudi Arabia 2-0 in succession in Group D, advancing to the knockout stage as group winners with two straight victories. As a result, it avoided the other side of the bracket, which contains strong title favorites Uzbekistan and archrival Japan, and secured a relatively easy route to the final. If South Korea beats Vietnam, it will face the winner of China versus Thailand in the semifinals.
Vietnam, South Korea's quarterfinal opponent, barely reached the knockout stage after finishing second in Group C with one win, one draw and one loss, behind Uzbekistan, which won all three of its matches.

For South Korea, which is seeking a fourth consecutive Asian Games title, this match against Vietnam is an opportunity to settle an old score. Just eight months ago, in January, South Korea suffered the humiliation of finishing fourth after losing to Vietnam in a penalty shootout in the third-place match at the AFC U-23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
However, the two teams are markedly different in strength this time. Vietnam's head coach, Kim Sang-sik, who also leads the senior national team, is away from the bench because of the September-October international match schedule. Assistant coach Dinh Hong-bin is taking charge on an interim basis. To make matters worse, key players such as forward Nguyễn Đình Bắc have been called up to the senior national team, leaving Vietnam with serious gaps in its squad.

By contrast, South Korea has built a squad that is overwhelmingly stronger than the one it had in January. World Cup veterans Lee Gi-hyuk (Gangwon), Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City) and Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic) joined the team as wild cards. With a large contingent of overseas-based players also on board, South Korea completed one of the strongest rosters at the Asian Games.
Lee Min-sung foreshadowed a thoroughly pragmatic style of football ahead of the knockout stage. Immediately after the match against Saudi Arabia, Lee said, "From the quarterfinals onward, it's a tournament. We have to choose the most stable approach." He added, "The fans may want flashy, high-quality football, but from now on, we will play with the clear objective of producing results no matter what."
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter