Toyota City (Japan) (AFP) - South Korea won the gold medal in men's soccer at the Asian Games, beating host Japan 1-0 in Saturday's final, dispelling some of the gloom that followed its disastrous World Cup participation and a series of controversies that have damaged the game in the country.

Published on: 03/10/2026 - 15:54

Ohm Ji-sung, the Welsh player for Swansea City, scored the only goal of the match with a powerful shot in the 60th minute, giving the Koreans their fourth title in a row in front of 30,000 spectators at Toyota Stadium near Nagoya.

Japan was seeking to win the gold medal for the first time since 2010, and is supervised by Go Oiwa, who will take over the leadership of the senior team after the Asian Cup next year.

Football competitions in the Asian Games are held between under-23 teams, with three over-age players allowed to participate.

South Korea experienced a miserable World Cup in North America this year, after it was eliminated from the group stage following a surprise loss to South Africa.

Coach Hong Myung-bo resigned, but his departure did not succeed in calming public anger over the disappointing participation, but rather increased existing questions about the method of his appointment.

Police raided the headquarters of the South Korean Football Association in August as part of an investigation into Hong's appointment in 2024.

The federation also apologized against accusations of providing sexual entertainment services to foreign rulers.

Ohm, who participated in the World Cup, delighted the Korean fans with a wonderful goal, as he fired a shot with his left foot against the run of play.

The victory ensured that the South Korean players were exempted from military service.

Most able-bodied South Korean men are required to perform at least 18 months of military service, but the government grants an exemption to winners of Asian Games gold or any Olympic medal.

The players of this team followed in the footsteps of the first team captain, Son Heung-min, and the Spanish Atletico Madrid playmaker, Lee Kang-in.

The South Korean squad included a number of players with European experience, and Ohm almost opened the scoring early, but his attempt went over the crossbar.

As for Japan, which fielded a team of under-21 players, most of whom were active in the domestic league, it suffered a blow when striker Uchi Nwadike was carried off the field on a stretcher in the middle of the first half due to a knee injury.

Although the hosts created the better chances, Aum scored the decisive goal to give South Korea the title, despite one of Japan's attempts hitting the post late in the match.

© 2026 AFP

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.