This is the first time in 40 years that Korea has missed the men's football tournament at the Olympics since the 1984 Los Angeles games.
Korea faced Indonesia in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Asian Cup at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha.
The two teams remained tied 2-2 after 120 minutes of fierce competition including extra time. Indonesia won 11-10 on penalties as Korea’s Lee Kang-hee failed in the shootout, while Indonesia’s Pratama Arhan scored.
Korea had to play without their head coach and top player in the second half. In the 70th minute, Lee Young-jun, a forward with three goals in the AFC tournament, received a red card for stepping on Indonesian defender Justin Hubner's ankle. Head coach Hwang Sun-hong was also ejected from the game after arguing with referee Shaun Evans.
The U-23 Asian Cup serves as the final qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The top three countries of the tournament will immediately obtain tickets to Paris, while the fourth-place team will compete against Guinea in a playoff to qualify for the Olympics.
This is Korea's first defeat against Indonesia in a U-23 Asian Cup match. Before this match, Korea had achieved five consecutive wins against the Southeast Asian country. Korea is ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings, far ahead of Indonesia, which is ranked 134th.
Hwang currently serves as head coach of both the U-23 team and the national team. Disgruntled fans are now calling for the resignation of Korea Football Association (KFA) head Chung Mong-gyu, linking his alleged mismanagement of the KFA to the disappointing performance at Doha.
reporter
Kim Joo-heon
jhkim123@ajunews.com
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