South Korea’s Lee Kang-in
Shoots during the football quarterfinal match between South Korea and China at the Hangzhou 2022
Asian Games at Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China, on Oct. 1.
The faces of the original European club teams are mixed as they cruise to the quarterfinals of the
Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. Fans of the clubs are happy to see them perform well, but they also miss
key players such as Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart), and Hong Hyun-seok (Hent).
On Feb. 2 (KST), Lee’s clubs PSG (France), Jung Woo-young’s Stuttgart (Germany), and Hong Hyun-seok’s
Gent (Belgium) announced on their official social media accounts that the men’s team had advanced to
the semifinals of the Hangzhou Asian Games.
“South Korea, led by Lee Kang-in, defeated China 2-0 to advance to the semifinals of the Asian Games,”
PSG announced the victory.
South Korea’s Hong Hyun-seok
Celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the football quarterfinal match between South
Korea and China at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China, on Monday afternoon.
Hent also shared a photo of Hong’s goal celebration and wrote: “Hong Hyun-seok has done it again, his
goal helped South Korea beat China to reach the Asian Games semifinals.” “Jung Woo-young, who came
on in the 63rd minute, advanced to the Asian Games semifinals with the Korean national team,” Stuttgart celebrated with a clapping emoji.
Fans of each team responded to the posts with praise for their performances at the Asian Games and
questions about whether or not they would be granted full immunity and when they would return.
“Considering his recent injury, it might be perfect for him to get some playing time in a tournament lik
e this to adapt (to the game),” wrote one PSG fan, while another posted a clip of Lee’s play and called him a “maestro”.
Chung Woo-young
Of South Korea reacts during the football quarterfinal match between South Korea and China at the
Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China, on Oct. 1.
“His play is fantastic and I wish him success,” said a Gent fan, while another added: “We miss him
incredibly.” A Stuttgart fan wrote: “Very good. Now how high should we go? Is third place enough, or do
we need to be first?” and asked about the military exemption.
Meanwhile, the Asian Games are not an official FIFA competition, so there are no mandatory
appropriation rules. However, at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, Tottenham (England) allowed
Son to play, and his stock rose after he won a gold medal.
It is believed that European teams such as PSG allowed Son Heung-min to play in the Asian Games considering his precedent.
After advancing past the home team, China will play Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals on March 3 at 9 p.m.
at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou. If they beat Uzbekistan, they will play for gold
against the winner of Hong Kong-Japan at 9 p.m. on Sunday. 스포츠토토링크