Japan lost 0-1 to South Korea in the final Group B match of the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Asian Cup held at Hamad Stadium in Jasim bin, Qatar, on the 22nd (Korea time). The defeat left Japan with two wins and one loss (6 points), ranking second in the group, behind South Korea, which won all three games.
Japanese media are voicing various voices over the bitter defeat suffered by their rivals. Notably, some claim that Kim Dong-jin (Pohang) made a tackle in the 9th minute of the second half of the day was too rough.
Kim made a sliding tackle with his foot raised slightly higher in the process of competing with Kawasaki Sota. Kim was given a warning, and players from both teams rushed to engage in a war of nerves, which created a severe mood.
Japanese media Soccer Digest pointed out that Korea's play was rough, saying, "Even if it was rugby, there would be no such tackle."
Yastaro Matsuki, a former Japanese national team member who broadcasted the game, also voiced his opinion, "The red card should have been issued. Korea should have had one person sent off at this point." Since then, Korea claimed that Japan lost unfairly because Kim Min-woo scored the winning goal in the 30th minute of the second half.
However, there were also voices in Japan advocating for the warning. "It was a dangerous tackle, but it seems that the intention was to touch the ball when he raised his foot high," said Yuzo Kurihara, also former Japanese national team player. "As he was slightly shaved and hit, Sota was hardly shocked."
"That's how good Korea was about the ball," he said, adding that he appreciated Korea's spirit and fighting spirit.
Meanwhile, Oiwa Ko, who lost the match between Korea and Japan, expressed regret, saying, "It is unfair to lose the match where the result was the most important." "I will go forward again so that this defeat does not mean a setback," Ko said.
South Korea will play the second-ranked Indonesia in Group A at 2:30 a.m. on the 26th, and Japan will play the quarterfinals against Qatar, the first-ranked team in Group A, at 11 p.m. on the 25th.
BY: 스포츠토토핫