It's a big humiliation. Korean soccer suffered its first ever three consecutive losses to Japan.
The men's national soccer team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, lost 0-1 to its rival Japan in the third match of the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) held at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 15th at 7:24 p.m., failing to reclaim the championship trophy.
Japan, with three wins in the tournament, achieved its third overall victory. Japan defeated Korea on home turf and took home the championship for the second consecutive time. Korea still has the most championships with five wins but has fallen behind Japan in two consecutive tournaments.
Korea suffered its first ever three consecutive losses to Japan in the last three A matches. Korea lost 0-3 to Yokohama in 2021 and experienced a 0-3 defeat in Nagoya in 2022. Both matches occurred during coach Paulo Bento's tenure. Korea tasted the humiliation of losing 0-1 to Japan once again in a tournament held on home turf.
Korea sent Jo Min-kyu (35, Daejeon Hana Citizen) to the front line to hunt for goals. Oh Se-hoon (26, Machida Zelvia), who played in the J League and knows Japanese players well, entered as a substitute in the second half but did not experience scoring.
Korea's attack consisted of Na Sang-ho, Jo Min-kyu, and Lee Dong-gyeong, with the midfield formed by Park Jin-seop, Kim Jin-gyu, Seo Min-woo, and Kim Moon-hwan. The defense included Lee Tae-seok, Kim Joo-seong, and Park Seung-wook, with goalkeeper Jo Hyun-woo. Oh Se-hoon waited on the bench, looking for a chance to get on the field.
Korea missed a crucial opportunity for an opening goal. In the 7th minute of the first half, Na Sang-ho's right-footed shot hit the post. If that shot had gone in, the mood of the entire match would have been completely different.
As soon as they missed the opportunity, a crisis followed. In a subsequent counterattack from Japan, Ryo Germain's volley shot became the opening goal. Korea had four defenders against two Japanese attackers, but no one managed to block the shot.
Lee Dong-gyeong, who scored against China, was also blocked. In the 9th minute of the first half, Lee Dong-gyeong fell near the box. The referee immediately issued a yellow card. However, the decision that he fell outside the box led to a free kick. Lee Dong-gyeong's shot was blocked by the defensive wall.
Korea was pushed back by Japan's precise passing and lost control of the midfield. Even when they managed to take the ball from Japan, the quality of the counterattacks was disappointing. Korea wasted a free kick opportunity earned in added time. Japan led the first half 1-0.
The second half followed a similar pattern. Korea penetrated into Japan's final third but the last cross was not precise. The final pass capable of creating a goal was clumsy. Korea also failed to create clear opportunities from set pieces like corner kicks. Substitute Lee Ho-jae headed a corner kick, but it went wide.
In the 19th minute of the second half, Na Sang-ho was substituted out for Moon Seon-min in hopes of a turnaround. In the 28th minute of the second half, Kim Jin-kyu and Lee Dong-gyeong were replaced by Kang Sang-yoon and Oh Se-hoon, hoping for an equalizer. Kang Sang-yoon had a good opportunity in the box in the 35th minute but failed to get a shot off. A scissors kick attempt by Lee Ho-jae was also stopped by a spectacular save from the goalkeeper. It was the best moment of the second half.
Korea faced the danger of conceding another goal instead. The players literally threw themselves to block the opponents' shots and narrowly avoided conceding again. The majority of the 18,418 spectators were one-sidedly cheering for Korea. However, the expected equalizer did not come. Despite having the upper hand in the second half, Korea lacked finishing ability.
[OSEN]