Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Paju: Korea Republic may not have advanced to the knockout stage of the recent 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia but there is no denying that goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo was one of the stars of the global showpiece.
Cho, despite only having six caps to his name previously, was favoured ahead of veteran Kim Seung-gyu at the start and never lost the job and capped his campaign by earning the Man of the Match award in Korea Republic's fabulous 2-0 win over 2014 champions Germany in their final Group F match.
Up next for Cho is the 2018 Asian Games Indonesia, where the Daegu FC goalkeeper is one of three overaged players head coach Kim Hak-bum has selected for the Under-23 tournament.
Tottenham Hotspur attacked Son Heung-min will also be central to Korea Republic's defence of the Asian Games gold medal they won on home soil in 2014.
"I've already put the World Cup out of my mind," said Cho. "I am confident I can play even better (in the Asian Games) than I did at the World Cup. I learned a great deal facing European opponents at the World Cup. I am determined to bring home the gold medal."
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Seoul: Kim Hak-bum had a feeling the Asian Games Indonesia 2018 football re-draw would have an impact on his team and the Korea Republic Under-23 head coach was proven right when the United Arab Emirates were drawn in Group E on Wednesday.
That meant Korea Republic, the 2014 men's football gold medallists (pic below), would have to play an additional group stage match in their bid to retain the title.
Wednesday's re-draw in Kuala Lumpur was to include the UAE and Palestine, who were accidentially omitted during the initial draw in Jakarta on July 5.
Besides Korea Republic and UAE, Group E also has Kyrgyz Republic, Bahrain and Malaysia while Palestine joined hosts Indonesia, Hong Kong, Laos and Chinese Taipei in Group A.
Kim said playing an additional match would pose challenges to his squad but believed Korea Republic have a good chance of defending the gold medal won on home soil in 2014.
"Having to play one more match than other teams in such hot conditions will be an even bigger challenge than analysing opponents," Kim said.
"But no matter how difficult our situation may be, it's something we have to overcome. And I have faith in my players to come through and deliver a good result."
Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Kuala Lumpur: Asian Games men's football defending champions Korea Republic will play in the five-team Group E for the 2018 edition, following the re-draw to include Palestine and United Arab Emirates at the AFC House on Wednesday.
The Taeguk Warriors, led by Son Heung-min, will defend their title against Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates
Similarly in Group A, hosts Indonesia drew Hong Kong, Laos, Chinese Taipei and Palestine.
The U-23 tournament, which allows each country to field three overage players, will see 26 teams vying for honours.
Group B has Thailand, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh and Qatar, while Group C will see 2014 bronze medallists Iraq, China PR, Timor-Leste and Syria.
Japan were the seeded team in Group D and they were drawn with Vietnam, Pakistan and Nepal.
DPR Korea, the 2014 silver medallists, will face Saudi Arabia, Islamic Republic of Iran and Myanmar in Group F.
The top two teams in each group along with the four best third placed teams will advance to the Round of 16.
Men's football will be contested on August 14 to September 1 in Jakarta and Palembang.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jakarta: 2018 Asian Games hosts Indonesia were drawn with 2014 bronze medallists Korea Republic, Chinese Taipei and Maldives in Group A, following the women's football draw on Thursday.
The 11-team competition will see 2014 champions DPR Korea in Group B with China, Hong Kong and Tajikistan while Group C has 2014 silver medallists Japan, Vietnam and Thailand.
The top two teams from each group, together with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarter-finals.
The 2018 Asian Games women's football competition will be held on August 16 to 31.