Japan once more stands in way of Korea's golden dream

South Korea will face Japan in the Asian Games men’s football final on Saturday in Toyota, Japan, aiming for a fourth straight gold medal. Gold would also bring military-service exemption for most of the U-23 squad, including overage players Eom Ji-sung and Yang Hyun-jun. Japan reaches the final at home after beating Uzbekistan on penalties, while Korea advanced by edging China 2-1.

Korea beat China 2-1 in the semifinal on Wednesday after leading through difficult phases of the match.

Eom Ji-sung scored a hat trick in Korea’s 4-1 win over Qatar and assisted both goals against China.

Japan reached the final after defeating Uzbekistan on penalties following a draw and extra time.

The men’s football final is set for Saturday at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, with Japan enjoying home support.

A gold medal in the Asian Games exempts players from 18 to 21 months of military service, a major benefit for the squad.

Published Oct 2, 2026 2:44 pm KST

South Korean players wave to the crowd after their 2-1 win over China in the men's football semifinal match at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan, Wednesday. Yonhap

For the third successive time, South Korea will face Japan in the final of the Asian Games on Saturday, and fans at home will be hoping that the young Taeguk Warriors will take gold for the fourth successive tournament.

This could be the toughest one yet. Japan has lost the last two finals, and this time the game is on home ground. There should be a big crowd in the Toyota Stadium, but the pressure is on Korea too. Gold equals exemption from the 18-21 months of military service that all able-bodied males have to undertake.

For the majority of the roster — this is primarily a U-23 tournament — this can remove a major obstacle to a big move to Europe. For others already in Europe, such as two of the three overage players allowed, Eom Ji-sung and Yang Hyun-jun, there will be no need to return home by the time they are 28 to report and play for Gimcheon Sangmu in the K League.

It is not a surprise that Korea has made it this far. Some teams treat the tournament as a chance to develop young players — like Japan, for example. All the players are 21 or under and there are no overage stars. Korea, in contrast, has called up as much experience as possible, including stars such as Eom.

The Swansea City winger has been in great form in England’s second tier so far this season and has brought his talents to Japan and if he continues then he could be the player to take his team all the way to gold. He scored a hat trick in the opening game 4-1 win over Qatar and then produced the assist for both goals in the 2-1 win over China in the semifinal on Wednesday.

That was a good battle and perhaps the kind of game that Korea needed. The Chinese are improving, especially at youth level, and actually took the lead. After strolling through the group stage by comfortably defeating Qatar and Saudi Arabia and then thrashing Vietnam 4-0 in the quarterfinal, Korea had not been tested. China provided the test and at times it was physical.

Japan also had to fight to get past Uzbekistan, which had looked impressive, in the other semifinal. After a draw and then extra time, which may make the host a little more tired, Japan triumphed on penalties. It could be said that the experience of winning that way could also be useful if the final ends all square.

That all remains to be seen. This has been a bad year for Korean soccer after the disaster that was the World Cup in the summer. That early elimination was followed by parliamentary hearings, police raids and some unwelcome revelations. The senior national team is trying to rebuild, but lost 4-1 to Uruguay a few days ago. Gold at the Asian Games will not fix any of the issues that are facing soccer at the moment but will provide some welcome positive headlines.

There is a bigger prize on offer for the players — a chance to win exemption from 18 months of military service and focus on their short professional careers in the knowledge that they can go where they want. Japan will be desperate to win on home soil and not fall to a third successive defeat against the old rival. It should be quite a game.

韩国将于周六在日本丰田举行的亚运会男足决赛中迎战日本，力争四连冠。如果夺得金牌，韩国U23队的大部分球员，包括超龄球员严智星和杨贤俊，都将获得兵役豁免。日本队在主场点球大战击败乌兹别克斯坦晋级决赛，而韩国队则以2比1险胜中国队。

周三，韩国队在半决赛中以 2-1 战胜中国队，并在比赛的艰难阶段中保持领先。

严智星在韩国4-1战胜卡塔尔的比赛中上演帽子戏法，并在对阵中国的比赛中助攻队友打入两球。

日本队在与乌兹别克斯坦队战平并经过加时赛后，通过点球大战击败对手，晋级决赛。

男子足球决赛将于周六在丰田市丰田体育场举行，日本队将享有主场优势。

在亚运会上获得金牌的运动员可以免除 18 至 21 个月的兵役，这对球队来说是一项重大福利。

发布于2026年10月2日下午2:44（韩国标准时间）

周三，在日本大阪长居体育场举行的爱知-名古屋亚运会男足半决赛中，韩国队以2比1战胜中国队后，韩国球员向观众挥手致意。（韩联社）

韩国将连续第三次在周六的亚运会决赛中对阵日本，国内的球迷们希望年轻的太极战士能够连续第四次夺得金牌。

这可能是迄今为止最艰难的一场比赛。日本队已经连续两届决赛失利，而这次比赛是在主场进行。丰田体育场应该会座无虚席，但韩国队也同样承受着巨大的压力。金牌意味着可以免除所有身体健全的男性都必须服的18至21个月的兵役。

对于名单上的大多数球员来说——毕竟这是一项U23赛事——这可以扫清他们进军欧洲赛场的一大障碍。而对于其他已经在欧洲踢球的球员，例如三名超龄球员中的两名——严智星和杨贤俊——他们无需在28岁时返回韩国，为K联赛的金川尚武队报到效力。

韩国队能走到这一步并不令人意外。有些球队把这项赛事当作培养年轻球员的机会——例如日本队。他们所有球员都未满21岁，没有超龄球星。相比之下，韩国队则尽可能地召集了经验丰富的球员，包括像严宇治这样的明星球员。

这位斯旺西城边锋本赛季在英格兰第二级别联赛中状态火热，并将他的天赋带到了日本。如果他能保持这种状态，他很有可能带领球队一路杀进决赛，最终夺得金牌。在首场4-1战胜卡塔尔的比赛中，他上演了帽子戏法；周三的半决赛2-1战胜中国的比赛中，他又助攻队友打入两球。

那是一场精彩的比赛，或许正是韩国队所需要的。中国队进步显著，尤其是在青年队层面，并且一度领先。此前，韩国队在小组赛中轻松战胜卡塔尔和沙特阿拉伯，并在四分之一决赛中以4-0横扫越南，一路高歌猛进，几乎没有遇到真正的考验。而中国队则给韩国队带来了真正的考验，比赛过程中双方的身体对抗也相当激烈。

在另一场半决赛中，日本队也经历了一番苦战才战胜了实力强劲的乌兹别克斯坦队。双方战平后进入加时赛，这或许会让东道主日本队略感疲惫，最终日本队在点球大战中胜出。可以说，如果决赛最终以平局告终，这种点球大战的经验或许也能派上用场。

一切还有待观察。对于韩国足球来说，今年可谓是糟糕的一年，尤其是在今夏世界杯惨败之后。早早出局之后，紧接着是国会听证会、警方突击搜查以及一些令人不安的爆料。国家队正在努力重建，但几天前却以1比4负于乌拉圭。在亚运会上夺得金牌并不能解决韩国足球目前面临的任何问题，但无疑会带来一些令人欣喜的正面新闻。

对于球员来说，还有更大的奖赏摆在眼前——有机会免除18个月的兵役，从而可以专注于短暂的职业生涯，并拥有自由选择的发展道路。日本队渴望在主场取胜，避免遭遇对阵老对手的三连败。这必将是一场精彩的比赛。