The South Korean U-23 football team secured a gold medal on October 3 by defeating host nation Japan 1-0 in the final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture. This victory marks Korea's fourth consecutive title, following wins in the 2014 Incheon Games, and brings their total to seven Asian Games championships.
Both teams battled to a scoreless draw in the first half. In the 61st minute of the second half, Um Ji-sung scored the decisive goal, sealing the match for Korea. The team held on to this lead to confirm their gold medal.
Um Ji-sung's goal not only clinched the victory but also highlighted his outstanding performance throughout the tournament, where he recorded four goals and four assists. His contributions included key assists in the quarterfinal against Vietnam and the semifinal against China.
In the group stage, Korea topped Group D with a 4-1 victory over Qatar and a 2-0 win against Saudi Arabia. In the quarterfinals, they dominated Vietnam with a 4-0 win, and in the semifinals, despite conceding an early goal to China, they rallied back to win 2-1 with goals from Lee Young-jun and Bae Jun-ho. Korea completed the tournament with six matches and no losses.
Japan, who faced Korea in the final, advanced after a dramatic semifinal against Uzbekistan, which ended in a 1-1 draw and was decided by a penalty shootout (9-8).
This final marked the third consecutive Asian Games men's football final between Korea and Japan, following the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and 2022 Hangzhou tournaments.
Under the leadership of head coach Lee Min-seong, Korea has now achieved four consecutive victories, adding to their previous wins in 1970, 1978, and 1986.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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