AFC U23 Asian Cup
A subpar first half saw Korea Republic trailing at the break to Kaito Koizumi’s 36th minute strike and while Lee was able to get a reaction from his players in the second half, a combination of woeful finishing and inspired goalkeeping from Rui Araki meant their title hopes were ended.
#AFCU23 | Semi-finals: Japan 1-0 Korea Republic
“The first half, I think we didn’t show our best performance,” said Lee. “In the second half, we did our best but we couldn't score. We played the game with our utmost best but it wasn’t enough.
“In the first half, we had to be more on the defensive. We switched it up (after the break) and we tried to put pressure on them and it was effective."
“In the first half, we had to be more on the defensive. We switched it up (after the break) and we tried to put pressure on them and it was effective."
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“However, rather than saying the opposition goalkeeper was good, I would say it’s more down to our finishing. We did not do that well.”
Korea Republic’s campaign, however, isn’t over just yet as they meet Vietnam in the third-place playoff on Friday and Lee will expect his side to sign off on a high note.
Korea Republic’s campaign, however, isn’t over just yet as they meet Vietnam in the third-place playoff on Friday and Lee will expect his side to sign off on a high note.
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