With the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games set to kick off on March 23, the medal hunt is in full swing with qualifying events for each sport. Leading the way is men’s soccer’s Hwang Sun-hong, who will be looking to give the 스포츠토토 Korean team its first win in Hangzhou.
The men’s national soccer team, led by Hwang Sun-hong, will take on Kuwait in their first Group E match of the Hangzhou Asian Games at Jinhua Stadium in Zhejiang Province, China, on Sept. 19. South Korea will attempt to win its third consecutive men’s soccer title, following Incheon 2014 and Jakarta-Palembang 2018. No country has ever won three consecutive men’s soccer titles at the Asian Games.
Hwang Sun-hong will face Kuwait without a full squad. The national team’s “ace” Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) will join Hwang Sun-hong around the 21st after completing his club schedule. After Kuwait, Hwang will face Thailand (21st) and Bahrain (24th).
In Group E, South Korea is considered the best team. Despite being without Lee Kang-in, they have a good chance of winning against Kuwait. Coach Hwang also promised victory, saying, “We will bring good results from the first game.”
Lee could be ready to play as early as the third group game. However, Hwang plans to use Lee when he is fully fit, as he recently suffered a left quadriceps injury. Rather than using Lee Kang-in too much in the group stage, Hwang will focus on the main tournament with the goal of winning the tournament by strengthening the organization.
The men’s soccer tournament will feature 23 nations divided into six groups. The four best performing teams from the first, second, and third places in each group will advance to the round of 16.
Beach volleyball and cricket will also begin play on the 19th. Korea will be represented by Kim Myung-jin Bae In-ho (Yeongcheon City Sports Association), Lee Dong-seok Kim Jun-young (Hwaseong City Hall), and Lee Ho-bin Shin Ji-eun Jeon Hari Kim Se-yeon (Kyung-il University) in the men’s beach volleyball and women’s beach volleyball. No Korean athletes are competing in cricket. Korea is sending athletes to 39 other sports at the Games, excluding cricket.
The main Korean contingent will compete in modern pentathlon, sailing and rowing on the 20th. The men’s volleyball team, coached by Lim Do-heon, will open their Group C campaign against India. On the 21st, they will face Cambodia in their second match. With 19 nations competing, men’s volleyball is divided into six groups. The top two finishers in each group will advance to the round of 12.