Anchor: South Korea defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 in the men’s football semifinal of the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Thursday evening, setting them up for a final against Japan set for Saturday. The team is in search of a third consecutive Asian Games title as they look to cap off a dominant tournament performance with a gold medal.
Tom McCarthy recaps the match.

Report: 

[Sound bite: South Korea-Uzbekistan semifinal in men's football competition of the Hangzhou Asian Games]

Team South Korea makes their third consecutive final in the men’s football competition of the Asian Games after beating Uzbekistan in the HSC Stadium in Hangzhou.

With 2002 World Cup legend Hwang Sun-hong as manager, the Taegeuk Warriors won 2-1 on Wednesday, setting themselves up for a second consecutive final against Japan on Saturday.

Jeong Woo-yeong found the net around the fourth minute to open the scoring, but Uzbekistan pulled one back on a freekick from Jasurbek Jaloliddinov 21 minutes later.

The South Korean forward bagged a second in the 38th minute, giving way to a scoreless second half that saw Abdurauf Buriev sent off after picking up a second yellow card in the 74th minute to reduce Uzbekistan to ten men.

Team Korea will now face Japan for the second straight time in search of a third consecutive Asian Games football title on Saturday at 9 p.m., Korea time.

South Korea stormed through the tournament with a 9-0 demolition of Kuwait, a 4-0 win over Thailand, and a 3-0 win over Bahrain to top Group E before beating Kyrgyzstan 5-1 in the Round of 16 and China 2-0 in the quarterfinals ahead of Wednesday's win.

Jeong goes into the final as the leading scorer in the competition with seven goals, with the side racking up 25 goals while conceding just two over the last six matches.

The Taegeuk Warriors will hope its form continues into the final as it looks to overcome a strong Japan side as it did in the 2018 final, with not only a gold medal but an exemption from mandatory military service on the line.

That uniquely South Korean bonus is a prize that benefitted Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min in the last Asian Games and can now do so not only for Jeong, who plies his trade at German club VfB Stuttgart, but Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Lee Kang-in as well as the entire squad.
Tom McCarthy, KBS World Radio News.