While the top four teams were named in the recent U23 Asian Cup tournament, the South Korean men's soccer team suffered the embarrassment of not qualifying for the Olympics for the first time in nearly 40 years.
According to Korean media reports, the South Korean national Olympic team failed to advance to the semifinals of this U23 Asian Cup tournament, and therefore lost the opportunity to participate in the Paris Olympics. This is the first time since 1984 that South Korea failed to qualify for the Olympics through the Asian Cup. In the quarterfinals, South Korea met the Indonesian national team and after a close match, the two sides went into a penalty shootout. However, in the penalty shootout, Korea lost to Indonesia by a total score of 12:13 and did not qualify for the quarterfinals.
South Korea's performance in this U23 Asian Cup was not ideal, as they showed some strength in the group stage but failed to perform at their best in the knockout stage. In contrast, teams like Indonesia and Japan performed well in the tournament and managed to advance to the quarterfinals.
This loss is undoubtedly a huge blow to South Korean soccer. South Korean soccer has always been one of the strongest teams in Asian soccer, and they have achieved excellent results in competitions such as the Asian Cup and the World Cup on many occasions. However, this loss in the U23 Asian Cup has cost them the chance to participate in the Paris Olympics.
