Kim Myung-joon's winning goal, Lee Min-sung, overcame the shock defeat in the match between Korea and China to win 10 games against Vietnam...Panda Cup Closes With 2 wins and 1 loss

Nov 18, 2025

photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association

Lee Min-sung finished the Panda Cup with a victory over Vietnam.

South Korea's national soccer U-23 team, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, won 1-0 in the third match of the 2025 Panda Cup against Vietnam in Chengdu, China, on the 18th, thanks to Kim Myung-joon's (Henk) winning goal in the 34th minute of the first half.

South Korea, which won 2-0 in the first match against Uzbekistan on the 12th and then lost 0-2 in the second match against China, finished the tournament with a score of 2-1 and 6 points.

Kim Myung-joon, an overseas player from Pohang Steelers Youth, scored two goals, the most among Korean players, impressing coach Lee ahead of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation U-23 Championship finals in January next year.

Manager Lee started Kim Myung-joon, Kang Sung-jin (Suwon), Park Seung-ho (Incheon), Kim Han-seo (Daejeon), Kim Dong-jin (Pohang), Cho Hyun-tae (Gangwon), Kang Min-joon (Pohang), Park Sung-hoon (Seoul), Shin Min-ha (Gangwon), Kim Do-hyun (Gangwon) and Hong Sung-min (Pohang). South Korea, which led with Kim Myung-joon's first goal in the first half, blocked the second half without allowing a run, securing a new victory by one goal.

Whether Korea (score 6, +1) wins or not will be determined according to the results of China (score 3, 1 win, 1 loss, +1) and Uzbekistan (score 3, 1 win, 1 loss,-1), which will be held from 8:35 p.m. If China and Uzbekistan draw, the championship will be confirmed.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.