Hwang Seon-hong, who had conceded an early goal to Japan's Kotaro Uchino, did not panic and started the chase. He took the initiative and saw an opportunity, and in the 26th minute of the first half, Jung Woo-young scored a header equalizer and cheered. He continued to attack Japan's flanks, which had thickened the midfield, and turned the game around with Hwang Jae-won's cross and Jung Woo-young's finish.
Even after the score was 1-1, they were ahead in the battle of flow. Japan's intermittent counterattacks and quick passing play gave up defensive space a few times, but they showed a dominant performance by going on the offensive overall. Lee Kang-in moved well on the right side and center and acted as a playmaker, while Cho Young-wook and Jung Woo-young increased the offensive energy with sharp penetration and shooting.
Korea broke the balance of the game in the 11th minute of the second half. They took the lead thanks to Hwang Jae-won's flurry of overlapping and Cho Young-wook's calm finish. Hwang Jae-won, who helped Jung Woo-young's first goal, caught the ball in the midfield and boldly attempted to overlap, then made a forward pass to open the opportunity. It became a mixed bag as Jung Woo-young fought for the ball with the Japanese defenders, and Cho Young-wook, who was rushing, fired a clever shot between the goalkeeper's legs to score the comeback goal.
Afterwards, Hwang Seon-hong-ho solidified his victory by maintaining a stable game with appropriate player replacements and strong play. In the middle of the second half, he changed all the upper lines corresponding to 3 and 1 in the 4-2-3-1 pattern. In the 17th minute of the second half, he replaced Jung Woo-young and Ko Young-jun and put in Hong Hyun-seok and Song Min-gyu, and in the 28th minute of the second half, he sent Ahn Jae-jun and Eom Won-sang to the ground instead of Lee Kang-in and Jo Young-wook. He changed the entire offensive line, but maintained team balance by showing good flexibility in design and tactics. They effectively blocked Japan's counterattack with a strategy of focusing more on defense while targeting counterattacks.
In conclusion, allowing the first goal in 77 seconds became medicine, not poison. Conceding a goal so early in an important game where everything was at stake could have been a huge burden, but Hwang Seon-hong and the Taegeuk Warriors overcame it well with their skills. Looking more broadly, we achieved a valuable victory despite many concerns and criticism. Although the team was greatly shaken by controversy over the selection of players before the competition, they worked together to move forward, and won all games from the group stage to the final, standing on the highest podium. I give a warm round of applause to all of the Taegeuk warriors, Hwang Seon-hong, who had the last laugh.