South Korea advanced to the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup with a 2-1 victory over Australia in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Goals from Baek Gaon and Shin Min-ha secured the win, setting up a matchup against Japan. This marks their first semifinal appearance since winning the title in 2020.
At King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday local time, South Korea took the lead through Baek Gaon's volley in the 21st minute off a long ball from Lee Hyun-yong. Australia equalized in the 51st minute via Luka Jovanovic's strike from a tight angle, but Shin Min-ha headed in Kang Seong-jin's corner in the 89th minute to seal a 2-1 win.
The Taegeuk Warriors struggled in the group stage, losing 2-0 to Uzbekistan in their final Group C match last Tuesday but advancing when Lebanon upset Iran 1-0 the same day. Coach Lee Min-sung made four changes to the lineup against Uzbekistan, giving 19-year-old Baek, the team's youngest player, his first start. Early on, goalkeeper Hong Seong-min saved a long-range effort from Jed Drew in the fourth minute. In the 38th minute, a handball penalty against Kang Min-jun was overturned after video review by referee Fu Ming.
Lee praised his team's resilience: "We targeted spaces behind Australia's defense and pressed hard with midfielders, which worked well. After the first goal, we made too many defensive errors but recovered with a set-piece goal. We've improved and will perform better in the semifinals."
Baek, who turns 20 on Friday, added: "I believed we'd regain the lead after conceding. We're happy to make up for earlier poor performances."
South Korea faces Japan in the semifinals on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. local time (8:30 p.m. South Korea time). In the other semifinal, Vietnam—coached by Korean-born Kim Sang-sik—will play China or Uzbekistan.
