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| Members of the Korean men's Asian Games football team train at Zhejiang Jinhua No. 1 Middle School in Jinhua, China, Sept. 17, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. Yonhap |
Korea's quest for their third straight Asian Games gold medal in men's football will start Tuesday against Kuwait in China.
The first Group E match between the countries will kick off at Jinhua Sports Centre Stadium in Jinhua, south of the main host city of Hangzhou, at 7:30 p.m. local time, or 8:30 p.m. in Seoul.
The opening ceremony of the Asian Games is Saturday, but preliminary action in some sports will begin a few days before that.
Coached by Hwang Sun-hong, Korea's under-24 team will later play Thailand on Thursday and Bahrain on Sunday. Both of those matches will also start at 7:30 p.m. in Jinhua.
There are six groups of four at the Asian Games. The top two nations from each group will be joined by the four best third-place teams in the knockout stage.
No country has ever won three consecutive gold medals in Asiad men's football.
For at least the first two group matches, Korea will be without Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Lee Kang-in, widely regarded as the team's most skilled and creative player.
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| Members of the Korean men's Asian Games football team form a huddle during a training session at Zhejiang Jinhua No. 1 Middle School in Jinhua, China, Sept. 17, 2023, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. Yonhap |
Since the Asian Games aren't part of the FIFA international match window, clubs aren't required to release their players. PSG agreed to send Lee to the Asian Games, but under one condition: he will play in the club's UEFA Champions League group stage match on Tuesday in Paris and then travel to China the following day.
Given the time difference and travel distance, Lee won't arrive in Jinhua until Thursday. This will rule him out for the Kuwait match and will likely keep him on the sidelines for the second contest, too.
Lee, who has been sidelined since late August with a left quadriceps injury, missed PSG's Ligue 1 match on Friday, but is expected to return for the Champions League.
Before departing for China on Saturday, Hwang said he will not rush Lee into action because the player may not be in optimal match shape after missing weeks of action. Hwang also said he would have to talk with Lee to determine his best position on the field.
Lee was named to the Asian Games team in July but he has yet to train with his teammates.
Men's football at the Asian Games is typically restricted to players under the age of 23, with teams permitted to carry up to three overage players. The age limit was raised to 24 for Hangzhou, as the competition was postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Korea, Paik Seung-ho of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, 26, is one of the three overage players, joined by his Jeonbuk teammate Park Jin-seop and Ulsan Hyundai FC defender Seol Young-woo. Paik will be Korea's captain.
Up front, VfB Stuttgart attacker Jeong Woo-yeong will try to breathe some life into what has at times been a listless offense. Cho Young-wook of Gimcheon Sangmu FC, currently second in K League 2 scoring with 13 goals, will also be leaned on for some offensive spark. (Yonhap)
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