‘Stork’ coach Hwang Sun-hong has soared again.
Hwang Sun-hong’s South Korea Under-24 football team won the gold medal with a 2-1 victory over Japan in the final of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China on Sunday (9 p.m. ET).
South Korea fell behind to Uchino in the first minute of the match. The game took an unexpected turn, but Korea was not to be deterred. Jung Woo-young equalized with a header in the 26th minute of the first half before Cho Young-wook pulled the game back 11 minutes into the second half.
Six minutes of extra time. South Korea played smart, defended well, and when the whistle blew, the game was over and the gold medal was theirs. It was their third consecutive Asian Games gold medal and their second straight final victory over Japan.
Coach Hwang Sun-hong was criticized and doubted by many fans for his poor performance and results before the tournament. The reaction was especially harsh after the team suffered injuries to key players due to the push for an exhibition match against China just before the tournament.
But Hwang believed in his players and the team and pushed on.
In terms of tournament management, it showed in the results. Hwang used the right rotation to keep his players fit and improved their 토토 performance. In particular, he made a surprise change against China to win the game, and the team’s offense was on fire throughout the tournament.
Hwang Sun-hong reached the top of the Korean Football League with the Pohang Steelers, but his coaching career has since fizzled out. However, after winning three consecutive Asian Games titles, Hwang is back on the rise.