Korea’s U23 squad defeats China 1-0

Kim Dong-sub scored the only goal to secure Korea Under-23 team’s 1-0 victory over China in a friendly at the Munsu World Cup Stadium in Ulsan on Sunday.

Korea had its first chance seven minutes into the game. FC Seoul’s Lee Seung-yeoul fooled two defenders inside the penalty area, only to be blocked by the on-rushing goalkeeper.

It didn’t take long before Korea took the lead, however. Gwangju FC forward Kim cut through the defense in the 12 minute to tap in a low cross past the Chinese goalkeeper.

Korea dominated the first half, but was unable to extend the lead due to a lack of goal-scoring prowess. 

After the break, however, the young Koreans became lively and much more in sync.

In the 60th minute, a defense-splitting pass allowed Lee Yong-jae a free chance inside of the box, but his lame shot was blocked by the goalkeeper.

Three minutes later, substitute Seok Hyun-joon received a ball on the edge of the box and fired a powerful drive into the corner of the net. But the referee called offside.

On Sunday, the visitors had almost no shot at the goal, while the home side produced a strong performance. And thanks to the physical Korean defenders, Lee Beom-young, one of three goalkeepers that manager Hong Myung-bo is considering for the starter’s spot at the London 2012 Olympics, had a clean sheet.

The manager Hong Myung-bo, who took the post in 2009, hoped to win a gold medal at the Guangzhou Asian Games, only to end disappointed after losing 1-0 to UAE in the semifinals.

The 42-year-old manager revealed earlier that he is now aiming to win a medal at the 2012 London Olympics, but Sunday’s match proved that he still needs to work hard, especially on the offense as his team prepares for the Asian qualifiers in June. 

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)