Two reasons why Korean national team players wanted to win the Asian Games men's soccer final against Japan ”no matter what”

The men's soccer final of the Hangzhou Asian Games in China was held on the 7th of this month, with the U-22 Japan National Team playing against the U-23 South Korea National Team. Korea came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 and achieved their third consecutive victory in the tournament.
. As the saying goes, ``We must not lose in the Korea-Japan match, even in rock-paper-scissors,'' this match was one that Korea could not afford to lose. Fans of the come-from-behind victory over their “eternal rival”
They are intoxicated with joy. On X (formerly Twitter), there are comments such as ``Now Korea is the strongest in Asia!''
Korea faced the match against Japan with a ``serious lineup'' that they absolutely cannot afford to lose.
Using the overage (OA frame), which is outside the age limit, they appointed four European players, including midfielder Lee Kang-in, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain.
In recent years, South Korea has continued to struggle against Japan. In all-time national team games under the age of 23, South Korea
They had a slight lead with 7 wins, 6 losses, and 4 draws, but their most recent match was a complete loss to Japan 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup last June. Also,
In recent years, the Le National Team has also allowed Japan to take the lead, including the international friendly match held in March 2021, and the EAFF
In both E-1 Soccer Championships 2022, they lost to Japan 0-3.
Before the match, coach Hwang Seong-hong said, ``We have to win regardless of the reason.We want to take revenge on Japan.Since Japan has reached the final, we will take revenge.''
He was burning with ambition. Goalkeeper Lee Kwang-young also expressed his determination, saying, ``As you all know, it's a Korea-Japan game. We must never concede a goal in a Korea-Japan game. We will never lose to Japan.'' Korean Mede
Media also reported on the Korean eleven heading into the match against Japan, and OSEN said that Korea has positioned Japan as one of the most difficult opponents in this tournament, saying, ``The motivation of the players has increased accordingly.''
It was analyzed as follows. Since it was a match against Japan and the gold medal was at stake, the Korean public was very interested in the match, and street cheering events were held in Seoul. Seoul National Police Agency
In preparation for the situation, approximately 400 police officers and safety personnel were deployed to take precautions. Korea took the lead in the 2nd minute of the first half with Kotaro Uchino's goal, but in the 27th minute they scored the lead in Exclusive, the top scorer in the tournament.
Jung WooYoung of the World Cup tied the score with a header. Japan, who had succumbed to South Korea's pressure, gradually became reluctant, but Cho Young-wook scored the winning goal in the 11th minute of the second half.
Regarding the match results, South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo reported, ``He proved his ability with this victory.'' Furthermore, the same newspaper said, ``This time it could be called a perfect victory,'' and ``Until the final...
He showed off his overwhelming competitive power by scoring 27 points and conceding 3 goals in 7 games.'' South Korea won the tournament for the third time in a row. It was the match against Japan that aroused the fighting spirit in the players to such an extent.
There is no doubt that this is the case, but there is another reason. The match was a game where his exemption from military service was at stake. In South Korea, men are required to serve in the military for 21 months between the ages of 18 and 35.
However, Olympic medalists and athletes who won the Asian Games can receive special exemptions. After basic military training, he served as an arts and physical education agent for 34 months and received 54
If you complete four hours of service, you don't have to serve in the military. The players who won the final match against Japan and won the gold medal are eligible for this special exception, and the Korean media Uncut News reports that they are exempt from military service.
We hope that the players will be able to benefit from this and have a bright future." People online also said, ``Congratulations to South Korea on their gold medal. Congratulations on the athletes being exempted from military service.''
. On the other hand, Japan was aiming for the top for the second time since the 16th Games in 2010, but it was their second consecutive silver medal. Also, on the previous day, the women's national team won back-to-back championships for the first time in history, winning the Abec championship.
I had high hopes for it, but it didn't come true. After the match, coach Tsuyoshi Oiwa said, ``As we progressed through wins, we became a very good team,'' and added, ``We will use this frustration as fuel to prepare us (to qualify for the Paris Olympics).
I want to,” he said.