Seeking its first title in 21 years, the U17 national team will face Uzbekistan in the final of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U17 Asian Cup.
Uzbekistan won their quarterfinal match against Saudi Arabia 2-0 on Sunday at Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani, Thailand.
The victory sets up a quarterfinal meeting with Uzbekistan, who defeated host Thailand 4-1 on Sept. 26.
The semifinal between South Korea and Uzbekistan will be played at 11 p.m. on Sept. 29 at Patum Thani Stadium.
Earlier in the day, South Korea qualified for the FIFA U17 World Cup, which is awarded to the top four teams in the tournament. This year’s U17 World Cup will be held in Indonesia in November.
The U17 team has been on fire in the tournament, scoring 14 goals in four games, including wins over Qatar (6-1), Afghanistan (4-0) and Iran (0-2) in the group stage and a 4-1 win over Thailand in the quarterfinals.
Kim Myung-joon and Yoon Do-young are the top scorers with four goals apiece.
The tournament was founded in 1985, with South Korea reaching the top spot in 1986 and 2002. The Young Taegeuk Warriors will be looking to win the tournament for the first time in 21 years.
Uzbekistan, who will face South Korea, qualified for the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group D with two wins and a draw behind Japan (2 wins and a draw). They defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the quarterfinals to set up their meeting with Korea. 안전놀이터
South Korea holds a narrow lead in the head-to-head series against Uzbekistan’s U17 national team with 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss.
The Uzbeks boast a “salty defense,” having scored five goals and conceded just one in four matches at the tournament.
In the other quarterfinal, Iran and Japan will battle for a spot in the final. Japan defeated Australia 3-1 in the quarterfinals, while Iran played Yemen to a scoreless draw before winning 4-2 on penalties.
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