Korea, Japan, mixed joys and sorrows at U17 Asian Cup...Japan's Miracle Reincarnation of Korea's Quarter-Finals Settlement

Apr 11, 2025

Korea, Japan, mixed joys and sorrows at U17 Asian Cup...Japan's Miracle Reincarnation of Korea's Quarter-Finals Settlement
The men's U-17 team is playing against Yemen on the 11th. Photo courtesy = Korea Football Association



The joys and sorrows of South Korea and Japan were mixed in the group stage of 'U-17 (under 17) Asian Cup'.

South Korea, as expected, enjoyed a comfortable advance to the quarterfinals, while Japan was shocked by the miraculous return to hell and heaven.

The U-17 national soccer team, led by head coach Baek Ki-tae, defeated Yemen 1-0 with Kim Eun-sung's winning goal in the final Group C match of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 2025 Asian Cup held in Saudi Arabia on the 11th (Korea time).




South Korea, which lost 0-1 in Indonesia in its first group match, succeeded in escaping the shock by winning consecutive games following a 6-0 victory over Afghanistan in the second round, and settled in the quarterfinals as the second place in Group C (6 points) after Indonesia. In addition, the team has secured a berth to participate in the Qatar Under-17 World Cup, which will be given to the top eight Asian teams.

Korea, Japan, mixed joys and sorrows at U17 Asian Cup...Japan's Miracle Reincarnation of Korea's Quarter-Finals Settlement
남자 U-17대표팀. Photo courtesy = Korea Football Association
On the other hand, at the same time, Japan lost the face of Asia's strongest power. Japan lost to Australia 2-3 in the final Group B match, recording one win, one draw and one loss (four points). This process was 'from hell to heaven'. As Japan's defeat was getting worse, Vietnam was leading 1-0 as of the 42nd minute of the second half in the same Group B match between Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). If the game ends like this, Australia will reach the quarterfinals and Japan will be eliminated.

Korea, Japan, mixed joys and sorrows at U17 Asian Cup...Japan's Miracle Reincarnation of Korea's Quarter-Finals Settlement
U-17 Asian Cup final Group B match between Japan and Australia. Photo Source=AFC homepage
However, just before the end of the game, UAE scored an equalizer and the ending whistle blew 1-1. Japan, Australia, and the UAE were all tied with four points.




At this time, the ranking method of the tournament regulations revived Japan. According to the regulations, the first thing to do is to determine the victory or defeat between the three teams with a tie of points. Again, all three teams were the same with one win and one loss. Then, the second calculation standard and goal difference between the three teams were applied.

Korea, Japan, mixed joys and sorrows at U17 Asian Cup...Japan's Miracle Reincarnation of Korea's Quarter-Finals Settlement
U-17 Asian Cup final Group B match between Japan and Australia. Photo Source=AFC homepage
Japan's 4-1 victory over UAE in the first round was crucial. Even if the team deducted '-1' against Australia, it was the final '+2'. On the other hand, the UAE and Australia became '-1' side by side, and Japan's passing to the top of the group was decided.

While Japan swept its chest, Australia hit the ground even after winning. The team fell to third place due to a 0-2 loss between the teams, the third standard, in the calculation of the second place decision against the UAE. Australia led 3-1 against Japan and allowed a chasing goal in the 41st minute of the second half. Without this loss, we could have beaten the UAE ahead of the point of gain.




Japanese media expressed an atmosphere of shock at advancing to the quarterfinals of Cheonshin High School, saying 'Miracle Life', and Australia could not hide its heartbreak, saying 'We were eliminated even after defeating the strongest in Asia'.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.