South Korea loses penalty shootout to Saudi Arabia... U-17 final frustrated
South Korea loses penalty shootout to Saudi Arabia... U-17 final frustrated
Blog Article
South Korea's under-17 national soccer team lost to host Saudi Arabia after a penalty shootout and failed to advance to the final of the 2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Asian Cup.
South Korea, led by head coach Baek Ki-tae, knelt 1-3 in the shootout after drawing 1-1 with Saudi Arabia in the semifinals of the tournament at the Ocard Sports Club Stadium in Taip, Saudi Arabia on the 17th (local time).
South Korea was on the verge of winning with Oh Haram's first goal in the 45th minute of the first half, but nine minutes of extra time in the second half passed and gave up a penalty equalizer about 20 seconds before the end of the game, missing the victory that had been captured and eventually caught in the penalty shootout.
Korea's bid to win its first title in 23 years since the 2002 World Cup has also come to an end. Korea lost 0-1 to Indonesia in its first group match, but beat Afghanistan and Yemen in two subsequent group matches to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, the team had a 2-2 match with Tajikistan for 90 minutes, before struggling to advance to the semifinals by winning a penalty shootout.
Korea struggled in the early stages of the first half due to Saudi Arabia's offensive, but overcame the crisis thanks to good defense by goalkeeper Park Do-hoon (Hyun Poong Go). Since then, the team has taken the lead since the middle of the first half as its side attacks have revived.
South Korea scored a valuable first goal in the 45th minute of the first half after continuously knocking on the Saudi gate by hitting a series of decisive shots. Kim Ye-gun (Yeongsaeng High School) crossed from the right after receiving a surprise pass from Jin Geon-young (Cheonan Jeil High School) and Oh Haram finished it with a goal. Oh Haram shook the net by shooting the ball again with his right foot when his left non-stop shot was blocked by the goalkeeper.
Korea, which finished the first half with a 1-0 lead, defended well against Saudi Arabia's offensives despite their physical burden. However, with nine minutes remaining, Korea conceded a painful penalty.
Abu Bakker Sides finished off Abdulrahman Sufiyani's free kick with a shot, which was blocked by goalkeeper Park Do-hoon. However, Park Do-hoon walked on Abdulaziz Alfawazu's leg as he rushed out to clear the ball, and the referee declared a penalty along with a foul. As kicker Sides calmly scored the goal, he headed for the penalty shootout.
In the end, Korea failed to overcome the penalty shootout barrier. No. 2 kicker Kim Min-chan (Ulsan Hyundai High School) shot went over the net, followed by No. 3 kicker Chung Hyeon-woong and No. 4 kicker Kim Do-yeon (Chungnam Machinery Technical High School) shot, which were blocked by opposing goalkeeper Abdullaman al-Otaivi, forcing them to accept their defeat.
Meanwhile, North Korea immediately lost to Uzbekistan 0-3 in the semifinals at King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Taipei, failing to advance to the final.
North Korea has won the championship twice (2010 and 2014), but this time it finished its journey in the semifinals. On the other hand, Uzbekistan is close to winning its second championship in 13 years after winning its first championship in 2012.
The team will play Saudi Arabia, 먹튀검증 which targeted Korea, in the final round. Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan will compete for the title of the championship trophy at the King Fahd Sports City Stadium at 00:00 a.m. on Sunday Korean time.