South Korea U23 beat Saudi Arabia U23 2:0 in the third group stage match of the Asian Games on 22 September 2026. The hosts took all three points at home, moving clear at the top of their section.
The breakthrough came late in the half. Shin Min-Ha found the net in the 67th minute, and M. Kim doubled the advantage two minutes later. After those goals the visitors never got out of second gear, but they could not turn things around.
Coaches made several changes as the match progressed. M. Barnawi came on for Saudi Arabia in the 46th minute, while South Korea introduced Yang Min-Hyuk in the 54th. More substitutions followed in the final quarter, including Lee Hyun-ju for the hosts in stoppage time. A. Al Suwailem picked up a booking for the visitors in the 85th minute, and Hwang Do-Yun was cautioned for South Korea in the 89th.
South Korea dominated the statistics. They registered 70 attacks against 44 for the visitors, and their shooting accuracy of 0.6 meant three shots on target from five attempts. Saudi Arabia managed only one shot on target from two attempts. The hosts had five corners to four, and both sides completed 50 per cent possession.
The win puts South Korea top of the group with six points from two games. Saudi Arabia sit second on three points after one victory and one defeat. By then the gap was already two matches worth of points, and the hosts were looking strong for progression.
South Korea came into this fixture with momentum. They had beaten Qatar U23 4:1 and Thailand U23 3:2 in their previous outings, though they dropped points against the UAE and lost to the United States. Saudi Arabia had won 2:0 against Qatar but suffered a heavy defeat to DR Congo and also lost to China.
and here's the thing — the prediction we made before kick-off was a home win at 46 per cent confidence. It came through, and the result tells you exactly why. South Korea needed the points badly, and they made the difference when it mattered.
