‘AG 3 In A Row Green Light’ Hwang Sun-hong A Solid Grouping
South Korea’s Under-24 soccer team, led by coach Hwang Sun-hong, has been drawn in a group with Bahrain and Thailand for the round of 16 at the Hangzhou Asian Games in September. It’s a relatively easy draw. The South Korean under-24 national soccer team’s group stage opponents at the Asian Games have been determined as they look to win their third consecutive gold medal. South Korea was drawn in Group E alongside Bahrain, Thailand, and Kuwait. The first match against Kuwait will be on September 19, followed by Thailand two days later and Bahrain on the 24th. Despite being paired with two Middle Eastern nations, South Korea has avoided tricky opponents like Iran, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, all of whom have been unusually weak. The venues for all three games are also somewhat favorable, with the Jinhua Sports Center Stadium being the same stadium the team experienced in the June trial against China. “I think the first thing we need to do is analyze the strength of the teams we will meet, and we will aim to finish first in the qualifiers because it is advantageous to go to the final tournament as the top of the group.” In total, 23 countries are participating in men’s soccer at the Asian Games. So unlike the other casinositeking groups, Japan is lucky to be in Group D, which has only three teams, along with Palestine and Qatar. North Korea was drawn in Group F with Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, and Taiwan. The 12 teams that finish first or second in each group advance directly to the round of 16 tournament, with the four best-placed nations also joining as wildcards. On the Asian Games stage, our men’s team is arguably the best in Asia. They have won five titles, the most of any participating nation, and have come out on top twice in a row, first in 2014 and then at the 2018 Asian Games. The Women’s Asian Games team has been placed in Group E alongside Myanmar, the Philippines and Hong Kong. Before the opening ceremony, the men’s soccer team, which starts its group stage on Sept. 19, will decide the medal on Oct. 7, while the women’s team will play from Sept. 25 to Oct. 6.