Hwang Sun-hong concedes a late goal.

South Korea, led by Hwang Sun-hong, is playing Kyrgyzstan in the Round of 16 men’s football tournament at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Jinhua Sports Center Stadium in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, China, at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. The score is 2-1 with 12 minutes left in the first half.

Hwang’s side lost 0-3 to Japan in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship, and the team was criticized for a lackluster performance against China in an exhibition match this year. The pressure was on for the group stage.

However, after the group stage, Hwang showed a different side. It started in the first round against Kuwait. The team opened with a 9-0 victory over Kuwait, followed by a 4-0 win over Thailand in the second game and a 3-0 win over Bahrain in the third game.

They wanted to keep the momentum going. Hwang Sun-hong named a starting lineup of Seol Young-woo, Kim Tae-hyun, Park Jin-seop, Hwang Jae-won, Baek Seung-ho, Jung Ho-yeon, Jung Woo-young, Lee Kang-in, Uhm Won-sang, and Park Jae-yong in goal.

South Korea struck first in the match. In the 10th minute, opposing defender Baiaman Kumarbai Ulu fouled Seol Young-woo while making a tackle in defense. The referee awarded a penalty kick, which Baek Seung-ho slotted into the bottom right corner.

South Korea took another step forward. In the 11th minute, Uhm Won-sang sent a cross into the center of the box from the right side. Jung Woo-young headed it in. 스포츠토토

Kyrgyzstan pulled a goal back. In the 27th minute, Baek Seung-ho mis-touched the ball in his own half and Maksat Aligulov stole the ball. Aligulov dribbled to the opponent’s arc circle and split the goal with a shot. The first period ended with Korea leading 2-1.