South Korea U23 opened their Asian Games quarter-final campaign with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Vietnam U23 at the Ajinomoto Stadium on Thursday evening. The hosts, who sit top of their group with two wins from two, made no mistakes against a Vietnamese side that had shown resilience but lacked consistency. and here's the thing, the scoreline did little justice to how one-sided the contest became after the opening exchanges.
Lee Young-Jun broke the deadlock in the 15th minute with a composed finish after South Korea worked the ball into the penalty area. The visitors tried to respond but struggled to maintain possession against a well-organised defensive block. to be fair, Vietnam had their moments in the early stages, but the quality gap showed through when it mattered.
The second half saw South Korea increase their dominance. Kim Ji-Soo doubled the lead in the 77th minute, capitalising on a defensive error that switched off at a set piece. Lee Young-Jun added his second goal in the 81st minute, putting the result beyond doubt before the final quarter-hour. by then, Vietnam had made three changes in quick succession, trying to find some spark.
We had backed the hosts to win with 68 per cent confidence, and the performance justified that assessment. The visitors simply could not contain the movement in midfield, and their chances went begging. things came to a head when the fourth goal arrived in the 89th minute, sealing a performance that was clinical from start to finish.
The statistics tell their own story. South Korea registered 107 attacks compared to Vietnam's 59, with 10 shots on target against just one. Possession was evenly split at 50 per cent, but the quality of the chances told a different tale. Shots accuracy was 83 per cent for the hosts versus 13 per cent for the visitors.
The victory keeps South Korea perfect in the tournament, moving them further clear at the top of the table. Vietnam, meanwhile, will need to regroup quickly after this heavy defeat. The hosts now turn their attention to the semi-finals, knowing they have found their rhythm at the right time.
