It's literally a historic turnaround. The Baek Ki Tae team overcomes the worst start and challenges for the first age-specific Asian Cup title in 23 years.

Under coach Baek Ki Tae, the South Korea U17 national team faced Saudi Arabia in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U17 Asian Cup at the Okaz Stadium in Taif, Saudi Arabia, on the 18th (Korea time). They seemed to win 1-0 with Baek Ha Ram's opening goal, but their hopes of advancing to the final were dashed following a loss in the penalty shootout after conceding a late goal in the second half's extra time.

South Korea has successfully reached the finals for the second consecutive time since Byun Seong Hwan's team reached the finals in 2023 (losing 0-3 to Japan). Additionally, the dream of being Asia's top team in 23 years was thwarted after losing to their long-time rivals, Japan, two years ago. South Korea has won the U17 Asian Cup only twice, in 1986 and 2002.

In a way, Baek Ki Tae's team wrote an impressive reversal scenario. In the first group stage match, South Korea led the game with 21 shots against Indonesia. However, due to a lack of finishing ability and conceding a goal in the dying moments, they suffered a shocking 0-1 defeat, drawing much criticism.

Fortunately, South Korea quickly regrouped, overwhelming Afghanistan 6-0 and then defeating Yemen 1-0 to successfully advance to the quarterfinals. Moreover, they obtained a spot in the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup, which will take place in Qatar in November. The tournament will expand from 24 to 48 teams, with Asia allocated 8 spots.

As a result, the 8 teams that advanced to the quarterfinals gained eligibility to participate in the U17 World Cup, easing some worries. However, the quarterfinal match was not easy. On this day, South Korea scored the opening goal against Tajikistan but conceded two consecutive goals. Trailing 1-2, South Korea's Kim Ji Seong successfully converted a penalty kick in the second half's extra time, allowing them to triumph in the penalty shootout.

The semifinal opponent is Saudi Arabia, who defeated Japan. With the advantage of hosting, Saudi Arabia advanced to the quarterfinals with 2 wins and 1 loss after losing to Uzbekistan in the group stage. They drew 2-2 against first-place Japan in Group B (1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss) in the quarterfinals and advanced to the semifinals after winning in the penalty shootout.

Nevertheless, South Korea maintained their momentum, leading the match well. Coach Baek Ki Tae had previously defeated Saudi Arabia 4-2 in a four-nation friendly tournament held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in February. In an interview before the match, coach Baek Ki Tae expressed confidence, saying, "With the momentum from the comeback victory in the quarterfinals against a team we've already beaten."

South Korea's lineup included Kim Min Chan, Park Seo Jun, Kim Ye Geon, Lim Ye Chan, Jung Hee Seob, Oh Ha Ram, Park Seo Jun, Kim Eun Sung, Koo Hyun Bin, and Jin Geon Yeong. Goalkeeper Park Do Hoon donned the gloves. Although the home team Saudi Arabia continued to build momentum, South Korea gradually increased their intensity. In the 31st minute of the first half, Park Seo Jun had a good scoring opportunity, but it was thwarted by the opposing goalkeeper's save.

In the 33rd minute of the first half, South Korea made two consecutive threatening shots during a corner kick, but they were sadly blocked by the opposing defender and goalkeeper's strong defense. Saudi Arabia also made a dangerous shot in the 41st minute on a counterattack, but Park Do Hoon made a remarkable save. Both teams gradually improved their attacking precision.

Ultimately, it was South Korea who overcame this chaotic situation. In the 45th minute of the first half, Oh Ha Ram faced a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper, and after the initial shot was blocked by the opposing keeper, he followed up with a second shot to score South Korea's opening goal. The first half ended with South Korea leading 1-0.

The flow continued similarly in the second half. However, South Korea faced injury setbacks. In the 18th minute of the second half, Kim Ye Geon collapsed on the field and was replaced by Kim Ji Seong. Following that, Lim Ye Chan also collapsed and was substituted by Ryu Hye Seong. South Korea replaced Park Seo Jun with Jung Hyun Woong to balance the team. Rather than making reckless attacks, South Korea opted for a more stable approach.

As the second half's extra time started, an impressive 9 minutes were granted. In the extra time, as the opposing goalkeeper moved forward, Park Do Hoon made an incredible save. However, in trying to catch the rebound, a reckless tackle resulted in a penalty kick being awarded. The Saudi kicker converted, bringing the score to 1-1 and leading to a penalty shootout.

Both teams' first kickers succeeded, but South Korea's second kicker, Lim Ye Chan, missed. Moreover, the third kicker, Jung Hyun Woong, and the fourth kicker, Kim Do Yeon, both failed in succession. Despite Park Do Hoon's one impressive save, the game ended with Saudi Arabia's fourth kicker succeeding, thus dashing South Korea's hopes of reaching the finals.

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