Coach of U23 Korea wants to defeat Indonesia right at the opponent's field

Coach Lee Min Sung of the Korean U23 team made very confident statements before the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers.

Coach Lee Min-sung of the Korean U23 team spoke very confidently before the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers - Photo: KFA

Coach of U23 Korea, Mr. Lee Min Sung, has set an ambitious goal of winning all three matches in the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers. Especially the decisive match against host U23 Indonesia.

U23 Korea came to Indonesia with the strongest squad and high determination. "This is my first official tournament since taking office, so I am very excited. I will work with the players to get good results. My goal is to advance to the finals with three wins," Mr. Lee shared.

This ambition shows that the "kimchi" team not only wants to win a ticket to Saudi Arabia in 2026 but also desires to assert its strength against its fateful opponent, Indonesia.

According to the schedule, U23 Korea will start their journey with a match against U23 Macau on September 3. Three days later, they will face U23 Laos.

The final match is against host U23 Indonesia on September 9. This battle is expected to decide the top spot in the group.

This is Mr. Lee Min Sung's first official tournament since being appointed in May. To prepare, U23 had two friendly matches with U23 Australia in June.

While admitting there are time constraints for the team to fully bond and adapt tactically due to international regulations, Lee remains confident in his personnel choices.

The upcoming confrontation also has the meaning of "revenge" for U23 Korea. At the 2024 AFC U23 Championship, U23 Indonesia eliminated them in the quarter-finals after a dramatic penalty shootout, thereby ending the 9-time consecutive Olympic participation streak of the Korean team.

Coach Lee Min Sung acknowledged the remarkable progress of Indonesian football and said his team will pay special attention to this opponent.

Meanwhile, U23 Indonesia is also very determined in this qualifying round after just receiving defeat against Vietnam at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship right at home.

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers will feature 44 teams, divided into 11 groups. After the qualifying matches, the 11 group winners and the four best runners-up will qualify for the finals in Saudi Arabia.

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THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-u23-han-quoc-muon-danh-bai-indonesia-ngay-tai-san-doi-thu-20250902153630751.htm