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"Thank you and I'm sorry."
'Golden Generation Ace' Lee Hyun-joong (Nagasaki) shed tears after the Asian Cup.
South Korea's men's basketball A team, led by head coach Ahn Joon-ho, lost 71-79 to China in the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIFA Asia Cup at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the 14th (Korea time). The defeat ended South Korea's challenge in the quarterfinals. After the game, Lee Hyun-joong could not hide his regret, shedding tears.
The national team has been called the `Golden Generation.' Talented players in their early and mid-20s, including Lee Jung-hyun (Sono), Lee Woo-seok (National Military Sports Unit), Ha Yoon-ki (kt), Yang Joon-seok (LG), Yoo Ki-sang (LG), and Yeo Jun-seok (Seattle University), who were born in 2002, were cited as a new hope for Korean men's basketball, which had been stagnant for a while. Lee Hyun-joong, who was born in 2000, was one of the key players. In fact, he was checked by the opponent's defense in this tournament. Nevertheless, he scored double-digit points (average 19.8 points) in every game. He did his part even in a chaotic situation, including Lee Jung-hyun's injury departure.
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Lee Hyun-joong said through the Korea Basketball Association after the defeat against China, `I was very angry that I didn't win, but I want to thank my teammates for fighting until the end despite (Lee) Jung-hyun's departure. I felt very heavy and sad because I couldn't repay the fans who watched me until late with victory. I didn't like losing the game the most, but I was very angry and sad because I lost. It was a much-regretted, disappointing game.'
South Korea was heavily behind China in the second quarter. He chased in the second half, but failed to overturn the victory. Lee Hyun-joong said, `The game starts in the second half, so let's forget about the first half and start again in the second half. I don't think that conversation helped narrow the score in the second half. As a result, the shot was not in, but they said we should trust each other and throw it, and the players did well in that part. The Chinese big men were high, but (Ha) Yoon-ki, (Kim) Jong-gyu, and (Lee) Seung-hyun fought so well. (Female) Jun-seok also returned from injury and was not 100% in his physical condition, but it seems that it was a great help that he fought a lot under the basket. Thanks to that, I had a lot of opportunities to turn the game around, but in the end, I'm very sorry that I didn't do much when I was important."
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'An Jun-ho ' worked together for about two months ahead of this competition. Lee Hyun-joong "I want to say thank you first, leaving all my seniors and juniors. I'm glad that I really showed you what 'one team' is, including the director. I think all 12 players are happy and blessed to be able to play their part. I hope you can feel a lot of things even when you go to your team. He fell in the quarterfinals, but I believe all the players must have felt more. You have to go up further. Realizing that it's just the beginning, I want to play well without injury even if I go to each team and meet again. With the responsibility of wearing the national flag, communication between the players went well. I'm so grateful to the players because I think they put weight on wearing the national flag. And I want to say I'm sorry, too. You trusted me and followed me a lot, but I feel responsible and sorry for not achieving the goal I wanted. But you did a great job. I hope you go back to your team and do your best without getting injured."
He thanked his fans for their support throughout the tournament. I think the biggest reason why I was able to work hard despite my rough schedule is the love and support of my fans. Thanks to the fans who came to the site and the fans who watched the broadcast, I was able to do it with strength. Thanks to the fans, our team also seems to have more weight of the national flag. A lot of attention and support from fans made the players feel more mission-oriented. Thank you so much because I think you instilled the desire to win. Without the love of fans, there would be no development of Korean basketball at all. Thank you so much and I'm sorry I didn't get the grades I wanted. However, I think there is only something left to go up in the future with this tournament. We will work together with 12 players to achieve the desired results without showing tears and not getting frustrated at the next international competition, so please keep an eye on us."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
