South Korea defeated Bahrain 3-0 in men’s football of the 19th Asian Games in China on Sunday, closing out the group stage with an unblemished record.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Lee Kang-in played about 36 minutes before getting subbed out in his Asiad debut in Group E action at Jinhua Sports Centre Stadium in Jinhua, southwest of the main host city, Hangzhou. He didn’t factor into a goal, with Lee Han-beom, Paik Seung-ho and Goh Young-jun each contributing a goal.
South Korea had already clinched the top spot in Group E by beating Kuwait and Thailand by a combined 13-0. With nothing at stake Sunday, head coach Hwang Sun-hong gave Lee his first competition run with the rest of the team.
Compared with the lineup against Thailand on Thursday, Hwang inserted 10 new players into the starting lineup.
Lee tried to set up his forwards for scoring chances through a crowded Bahrain defense, feeding passes from all over the pitch. On 25 minutes, Lee’s through ball set up Jeong Woo-yeong’s cross that found Cho Young-wook’s head, with goalkeeper Salman Adel Salman Yusuf Alisa denying the Korean forward.
After a goalless opening half, Lee Han-beom headed home a Jung Ho-yeon cross to break the ice on the 61st minute.
Paik, South Korea’s captain, made it 2-0 with a mid-range strike. Goh, who came on for Lee a little past the half-hour mark, rounded out the scoring in the 84th minute.
Lee Kang-in arrived in Hangzhou on Thursday due to his club commitments and missed South Korea’s first two contests.
Because the Asian Games don’t fall within the FIFA international match calendar, clubs aren’t obligated to release their players. PSG only sent Lee to China after he played in a UEFA Champions League group stage match in Paris on Tuesday.
In the round of 16, South Korea will face Kyrgyzstan, the runners-up in Group F.
North Korea won Group F by defeating Indonesia 1-0 earlier Sunday, and this meant the all-Korean clash won’t materialize until the gold medal contest.
South Korea are trying to win an unprecedented third straight gold medal.
Source: Yonhap News Agency