Korean Republic 2 Japan 3Japan come from behind to lift maiden U23 Championship crown.
Japan came back from two goals behind to dramatically clinch their first ever U23 championship trophy on Saturday evening, defeating the Korean Republic 3-2 by at Lekhwiya stadium.
A second half brace from substitute Takuma Asano helped the Samari Blue come from behind to beat their local rivals in a frantic final. Japan will go into the Rio de Janiero Olympic tournament as champions of Asia, along with qualifiers Iraq and the Korean Republic.
Shin Tae Young’s Korean side flew out of the blocks in the first half, and had the ball in the back of the net on the seventh minute. However Ryu Seung-woo’s early strike was judged off-side by the Qatari officials.
Korea’s dominance began to show, and rightfully took the lead on the twenty minute mark. Midfielder Kwon Chang Hoon’s volleyed effort crept into the back of the net after a slight deflection from Japanese defender Takuya Iwanami, the first half ended 1-0 to the Taegeuk Warriors.
In the second half, the Koreans kept up the pressure on their rivals and doubled their lead just two minutes after the restart. Striker Jin Seong-UK’s quick turn and powerful shot was too much for Japanese stopper Kushibiki.
The matched turned on its head in two frantic minutes. Japan grabbed a lifeline on the 67th minute with Asano outpaced the Korean defense to score with a composed first-time shot.
Seconds later the come-back was complete when Shinya Yajima’s glancing header found the top left hand corner of Korean keeper Kim Dong-jun’s goal. From that point onwards, the tie swung firmly in the favor of the Japanese.
On the 81st minute Asano completed the comeback for the Samurai Blues. The Sanfrecce Hiroshima striker took advantage of a Korean defensive mistake and calmly struck past Kim Dong-jun. Makoto Teguramori’s side seen out the remaining minutes much to lift the under 23 crown to the delight of Japan’s passionate supporters.
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