Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kunshan: Han Seung-gyu's 85th minute strike secured Korea Republic’s place in the semi-finals of the AFC U23 Championship 2018 on Saturday as Kim Bong-gil's side downed a valiant Malaysia 2-1 to progress to the last four.
The game looked set to go into extra-time after Malaysian substitute N. Thanabalan cancelled out Cho Jae-wan’s opener after just 11.35 seconds – the competition's fastest ever goal – but Han intervened in the dying minutes to set up a semi-final clash with Uzbekistan.
The defeat was a cruel blow for a Malaysian side who had shown great maturity and application to fight back after such a dispiriting start, which saw them concede with so little time on the clock at Kunshan Stadium.
Kim’s side took the lead in improbable rapid fashion when Cho’s volley flashed across Haziq Nadzli’s goalmouth before clipping the inside of his left post and bouncing over the line.
To their credit, Ong Kim Swee’s players refused to panic and steadily gained a foothold in the game as the first half wore on. Nor Azam’s passing in midfield gave the Malaysians a creative outlet and Safawi Rashid’s willingness to cover huge amounts of ground gave the Southeast Asians hope.