The Asian Games national team aims for a third consecutive gold medal. The uniform numbers were announced ahead of the competition.스포츠토토

The Korea Football Association released the uniform numbers of the men’s soccer team for the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games through its official channel on the 18th. Wild cards Baek Seung-ho, Seol Young-woo, and Park Jin-seop were assigned jersey numbers 8, 19, and 4, respectively. Park Gyu-hyun and Jung Woo-young, who play for Germany, received numbers 22 and 7, and key player Lee Kang-in begins his golden run wearing number 18.

A total of 23 teams participated in the Hangzhou Asian Games. Four teams were organized into five groups, and only Group D consisted of three teams. The 12 teams ranked 1st and 2nd in each group, and the top 4 teams from the 3rd place in each group will pass the group stage and advance to the round of 16 to advance to the championship.

Defending champion Korea was among the six countries in Group 1. In the host country, China, the top five teams in the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games were seeded. The draw was held in the order of Group 4, Group 3, Group 2, and Group 1, and Coach Hwang Seon-hong’s Korean national team entered Group E, which included Kuwait, Thailand, and Bahrain in that order. Kuwait and Bahrain are clearly not strong teams. However, as a dark horse team, there is a high possibility that they will show a sticky appearance typical of Middle Eastern teams.

If Korea, which has the largest objective power, passes Group E as first place, it will meet the second place team in Group D in the round of 16. In Group D, Japan, Qatar, and Palestine are tied in one group. In some cases, a Korea-Japan match may be held starting from the round of 16. The final battle for the gold medal is expected to be held on October 7, the day before the closing date of the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Coach Hwang Seon-hong and the association held tug-of-war negotiations over the issue of recruiting key player Lee Kang-in. Since the Asian Games are not a competition on the FIFA calendar, permission to be selected from the affiliated team Paris Saint-Germain was required.

The Korea Football Association said in a press release on the 15th, “As a result of discussions with Lee Kang-in’s team, Paris Saint-Germain, it has been decided that Lee Kang-in will join the Asian Games national team after his team’s home match against Dortmund in the European Champions League on the 19th, French local time. “A final agreement was reached on the night. Lee Kang-in will move to Hangzhou, China on the 20th (France local time) and join the Asian Games national team,” he announced.

He continued, “After receiving an email from the Paris Saint-Germain club on the 13th asking for permission to be selected for the Asian Games on the condition that the Asian Cup selection schedule be adjusted, the Korea Football Association held discussions with the Paris club until late at night on the 14th, and ultimately approved the decision without any other preconditions. “On the night of the 14th, I received an official response from the Paris club allowing me to join the Asian Games team on the 20th.”

French media ‘L’Equipe’ reported, “Lee Kang-in has been at the center of an issue in Korea. But now he will finally participate in the Asian Games. He received permission from Paris Saint-Germain on the 14th. He is scheduled to move to China in the next few hours.”

He continued, “It was decided through a conversation between the player, his agent, and the Paris Saint-Germain club. Lee Kang-in responded happily, saying, ‘I am grateful to the club for managing the situation and helping the player. It’s a happy result for everyone.'”

Fabrizio Romano, a European transfer market expert, also announced, “As far as I understand, Paris Saint-Germain has sent a positive signal (green light) to Lee Kang-in’s selection for the Asian Games. Paris Saint-Germain is expected to select Lee Kang-in for the 2023 Asian Games.”

Local reports were mixed about the timing. ‘L’Equipe’ announced that he would move to Hangzhou, China in a few hours to focus on preparing for the Asian Games, but ‘Le Parisien’ announced that he would join the Asian Games national team from the 23rd. According to the association’s announcement, he will join on the 20th, but he is likely to play as a replacement for the match against Thailand (21st). It would be impossible to participate in the actual group stage of the Asian Games when one day after entering China and without even getting your feet wet. As reported by ‘Le Parisien’, they are expected to play from the third round of the group stage.

Lee Kang-in grew up in the Valencia youth team and developed his talent. He showed outstanding performance at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup held in Poland, winning Asia’s first Golden Ball award as a top second and attacking midfielder. Afterwards, he returned to Valencia and competed for the starting position, but was benched due to external issues and had to leave for Mallorca.

After settling in at Mallorca in his first season, he took off in his second season. He came from the side to the center and led the Mallorca team’s attack, becoming the first Korean to record double-digit attack points in the Primera Liga. He was linked with Atletico Madrid in the winter transfer market, but decided to take on the challenge at Paris Saint-Germain.

After joining Paris Saint-Germain, “This is a team I have known since I was young. Paris Saint-Germain is one of the best teams in the world. It is a team with the best players in the world. I want to have an adventure with Paris Saint-Germain as soon as possible. “I want to help them win a lot of championships,” he said.

He continued, “He is a midfielder who can play right and left winger. He is capable of playing a variety of positions. He is a player who can handle the ball comfortably. He has a great desire to win. I want to be helpful to the team and contribute to the team’s victory. “It is an honor to be the first Korean in the history of Paris Saint-Germain.

I will play on behalf of Korea and Paris Saint-Germain. I will always show a good performance on the pitch and do my best,” he said. Lee Kang-in, who joined, trained in a bright atmosphere with his team mates. Neymar, who participated in the team training, continued training happily with a smile on his face with Lee Kang-in. The remaining players, including Mbappe, who had received additional rest after the international match, also joined. We had full-scale team training.

Participated in a pre-season friendly match against Le Havre (France) held at PSG’s Paris Campus, France. He played as a right attacker, led the team’s attack, and showed sharp play. He walked the field wearing uniform number 19. Lucas Hernández, Marco Asensio and Manuel Ugarte also appeared.

Paris Saint-Germain continued their offensive work through Lee Kang-in, showing flashing passes between the side and the center. There was good chemistry with the fullbacks on the side, and they exchanged fluid passing plays. The passes into space and the release of pressure were also at the same level seen in Mallorca.

However, he complained of hamstring pain at the end of the first half. Lee Kang-in suddenly grabbed his thigh in the 43rd minute of the first half. During the Paris Saint-Germain counterattack, he looked uncomfortable, perhaps overloaded while sprinting, and went to the bench. French media outlet Footmercato also said, “Lee Kang-in was injured. Lee Kang-in, a freshman at Paris Saint-Germain, played very well in the match against Le Havre, but ended up finishing the game early. He suffered a hamstring injury and left the stadium just before halftime. He has now confirmed his injury status. “I need to check,” he announced.

Lee Kang-in participated in the Japan tour, but was unable to play with his Paris Saint-Germain teammates. He did the same with Neymar, who was in the team at the time. Paris Saint-Germain did not have the resources to provide creative passes in the second line. It was only after third-line midfielder Marco Verratti came in that they finally found a breath of fresh air.

Afterwards, he did his best to recover from his injury and was in good shape before the opening game. Although he was not 100% due to injury in the preseason, he played lightly in the opening game. He surprised the Paris Saint-Germain home fans with a sharp killer pass in the 12th minute of the first half. He attempted a bold shot, but was caught by the Lorient defense and was unable to score an attack point.

As the last starter, he played for 82 minutes and covered the ground. The pass success rate was 86%, and the ball was touched 58 times. European soccer statistics companies such as ‘Foot Mob’ gave Lee Kang-in high scores and selected him as Man of the Match (MOM). He was the only shining resource in the rather frustrating Paris Saint-Germain attack.

French Ligue 1 also gave Lee Kang-in a thumbs up. When selected as the best player of the game, he said, “Lee Kang-in enjoyed the space where Lionel Messi played. The Paris Saint-Germain players must have been satisfied with Lee Kang-in’s performance. Hamus played with Asensio and others while receiving Lee Kang-in’s attack support. Lee Kang-in played in Paris Saint-Germain. “He showed a wide range of influence and invigorated Germain’s attack. He deserves praise,” he said.

He was also a starter in the second round. However, it was not a position where Lee Kang-in could fully demonstrate his strengths. Although he was deployed on the left side, his role was closer to a wingback. He didn’t even get along with Fabian Luis. Coach Enrique chose a tactical change by bringing in Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele in the early part of the second half.

In the third round, there was a debate about whether to be the starting player or a replacement, but the bad news of injuries coincided with it. Paris Saint-Germain announced that they will do their best to recover until at least the international match period in September. Local media outlet Le Parisien predicted a recovery period until mid-September. Lee Kang-in is expected to focus on recovering to his original physical condition for approximately four weeks.

Later, Paris Saint-Germain announced on the club’s official website last month, “Lee Kang-in suffered an injury to his left quadriceps muscle. Treatment will continue at least until the end of the next international match period.” Lee Kang-in was not called up for the international matches held in Wales and England in September and focused on recovering from his injury.

He took part in team training in a video recently released by Paris Saint-Germain. He did some ball trapping and dribbling as coach Luis Enrique watched. With his bright smile, he worked with his teammates and prepared the league schedule. Although it was not as strong as his first training, he showed light body movements with intermittent sprints.

Even after the last match of the U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers, coach Hwang Seon-hong directly mentioned Lee Kang-in’s coordination situation. Coach Hwang Seon-hong spoke about Lee Kang-in’s condition during the Changwon convocation training. In response to a question about Lee Kang-in, Coach Hwang said, “When I received the official email, I heard that his recovery was fast. I exchanged letters with Paris Saint-Germain, and they said they would give a final answer on the 13th.”

He continued, “I am personally in contact with Lee Kang-in and interacting with him. I understand that he has been training with Ball since this week. After the international match in September, we are focusing on preparing for the weekend match. Paris Saint-Germain will play one league match. “We are thinking about playing and joining the Asian Games. We want to join as soon as possible. It is a problem that needs to be solved,” he explained.

However, abnormal air currents were detected during training in Paju ahead of departure from Hangzhou. When asked the same thing about Lee Kang-in’s selection, he said, “I am also a bit frustrated. I am personally communicating with Kang-in, and he wants to join as soon as possible, but it seems that the timing of his joining with Paris Saint-Germain is not well coordinated. The association is closely related to Paris Saint-Germain. “We are continuing to communicate well. I hope the timing of joining is decided as soon as possible so that I can focus on the team,” he replied.

The timing of joining was also not perfectly negotiated. Coach Hwang Seon-hong said, “I was hoping to come in at least one or two games before the group stage of the Asian Games, but that’s not going well. Paris Saint-Germain seems to be putting forward several conditions. (One of the conditions) could be the Asian Cup qualifiers to be held in January next year. “I personally hope to see him join at that time rather than later,” he said. At the time of the Paju interview, it was unclear whether they would participate in the round of 16 tournament beyond participating in the group stage.

Coach Hwang Seon-hong sighed, but the negotiations ended positively and he joined before the tournament. Coach Hwang Seon-hong’s Asian Games national team will play the first match of the group stage against Kuwait at China’s Jinhua Stadium on the 19th. On the 21st, we will play the second round of the group stage against Thailand. The final match of the group stage is against Bahrain in the Middle East.

2022 Hangzhou Asian Games men’s national soccer team final roster
Goalkeepers: Gwang-yeon Lee (Gangwon), Seong-jun Min (Incheon), Jeong-hoon Kim (Jeonbuk)

Defenders: Young-woo Seol (Ulsan*), Gyu-hyeon Park (Dynamo Dresden), Jae-ik Lee (Seoul E-Land), Han-beom Lee ( FC Seoul), Park Jin-seop (Jeonbuk*), Hwang Jae-won (Daegu), Choi Jun (Busan), Kim Tae-hyun (Vegalta Sendai, substitute selection) Midfielders: Jeong Ho-yeon (Gwangju), Hong Hyun-seok (Gent), Baek Seung-ho (Jeonbuk*), Song Min-gyu

( Jeonbuk), Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart), Go Young-jun (Pohang), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Eom Won-sang (Ulsan), Cho Young-wook (Gimcheon) Forwards: Park Jae-yong (Jeonbuk), Ahn Jae-jun (Bucheon) *