Japan Regains Top Spot in U-23 Asian Cup After 8 Years

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A Spectacular Goal in Extra Time in the Second Half… Japan Regains Top Spot in U-23 Asian Cup After 8 Years

The Japan loses 1-0 against Uzbekistan after missing a penalty kick.

Japan, who saved a penalty kick following a ‘great goal’ in extra time in the second half, defeated ‘difficult enemy’ Uzbekistan and succeeded in reclaiming the top spot in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 (U-23) Asian Cup after eight years.

Japan won 1-0 in the final of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup against Uzbekistan held at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on the 4th (Korean time) thanks to Fuki Yamada’s winning goal in extra time in the second half. 바카라사이트

With this, Japan experienced the joy of becoming champion for the second time since the 2016 tournament.

On the other hand, Uzbekistan missed a penalty kick opportunity in extra time in the second half and pondered the disappointment of finishing second in two consecutive competitions (2022 and 2024).

Japan’s captain Joel Chima Fujita was selected as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), and Iraq’s Ali Jassim, who took third place, was the top scorer with four goals.

With the conclusion of this tournament, which also serves as the Asian qualifier for men’s soccer for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the formation of Olympic groups has also been completed.

Japan, the winner, will face Paraguay, Mali, and Israel in Group D, and runner-up Uzbekistan will face Spain, Egypt, and the Dominican Republic in Group C.

Iraq, which ranked third after defeating Indonesia led by Coach Shin Tae-yong in the third-place match, competes in Group C with Argentina, Morocco, and Ukraine.

However, Indonesia, which ranked 4th, must win the intercontinental playoff against Guinea (Africa) scheduled for the 9th to win the ‘last ticket’ to the Paris Olympics and fight in Group A with France, the United States, and New Zealand.

The outcome of this day’s final was decided in extra time in the second half.

Japan, who had failed to score in the 45th minute of the second half in a losing effort, scored the valuable winning goal in one minute of added time in the second half, which lasted 11 minutes.

The main character was midfielder Yamada, who came on in the 26th minute of the second half.

Japan launched a counterattack by blocking Uzbekistan’s pass near the center line, and after continuing a concise pass, Fuki Yamada, who took over the ball near the right side of the penalty arc, struck the goal with a left-footed shot to split the game.

Korean Taekwondo Aiming for Gold Kick with the Pride

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Korean Taekwondo Aiming for Gold Kick with the Pride of the Leading Nation on the Line

The Olympic gold streak that was cut off in Tokyo will be continued in Paris.

Park Tae-jun, Seo Geon-woo, Lee Da-bin, and Kim Yu-jin will be going out… Aiming for at least one gold medal

Korean Taekwondo felt the pain of the global Taekwondo power leveling at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.

Korea, the home of Taekwondo, won one silver medal and two bronze medals, but failed to win a gold medal.

It was the first time since Taekwondo was adopted as an official Olympic event that Korea failed to win a gold medal at the Olympics. 토토사이트 추천

The Taekwondo team, which was devastated by the shock of not winning a gold medal, is determined to restore the pride of the home country at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The national team has set a goal of winning at least one gold medal at this competition.

In fact, the prospects for Korean Taekwondo are not very bright.

Korea will send only four athletes to the Paris Olympics.

Park Tae-jun (Kyung Hee University) in the men’s 58kg class, Seo Geon-woo (Korea National Sport University) in the men’s 80kg class, and Lee Da-bin (Seoul City Hall) in the women’s over-67kg class secured tickets to Paris through the World Taekwondo Federation (WT) Olympic rankings, while Kim Yu-jin (Ulsan Metropolitan City Sports Council) in the women’s 57kg class caught the last train after going through the twists and turns of the Paris Olympic Asian Qualification Tournament.

This is the first time since the 2012 London Olympics that Korean taekwondo will send fewer than four athletes to the Olympics.

In order to prevent medals from being concentrated in certain countries, Olympic taekwondo was limited to two weight classes per country (men and women) up to a maximum of four athletes until the 2012 London Olympics.

Starting with the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the number of athletes allowed was increased to one athlete per weight class, up to a maximum of eight.

Accordingly, Korea sent five athletes to the Rio de Janeiro Games and six to the Tokyo 2020 Games.

However, at the Paris Olympics, only four athletes will compete, the lowest number ever since the restrictions on the number of athletes per country were lifted.

Of course, all four athletes competing this time are evaluated as having the potential to win medals.

However, it is difficult to guarantee a gold medal.

Park Tae-jun is the next-generation ace who defeated Jang Jun (Korea Gas Corporation), the star of Korean taekwondo, in the domestic selection.

However, he has no Olympic experience, and the weight class is full of strong players such as Mohamed Khalil Zendoubi (Tunisia), the silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics and world number one.

The 58kg class, the lightest weight class for men in Olympic taekwondo, is also a weight class with many variables.

Furthermore, Korean taekwondo has had a particularly bad relationship with the 58kg class for men in the Olympics.

Korea succeeded in winning medals in the weight class at the 2012 London Olympics (Lee Dae-hoon, silver medal), the 2016 Rio Olympics (Kim Tae-hoon, bronze medal), and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (Jang Jun, bronze medal), but has never won a gold medal.

Park Tae-jun is determined to become the first Korean athlete to win a gold medal in the men’s 58 kg class at the Olympics.