Korea Overcome team Qatar in Asian Games Football Opener

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September 15, 2026
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15-September-2026

Korea Overcome team Qatar in Asian Games Football Opener

AICHI-NAGOYA – Qatar’s U-23 national team opened their football campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games with a 1-4 defeat to Korea Republic on Tuesday at Mizuho Park Stadium.

Marwan Sharif scored Qatar’s consolation goal in the 85th minute, while South Korea’s goals came from Eom Ji-sung, who completed a hat-trick in the seventh, 20th and first minute of added time in the opening half, and Kim Myeong-jung in the 66th minute.

South Korea took the lead in the seventh minute when Eom Ji-sung broke into the area and fired a shot into the net. The same player doubled his side’s advantage in the 20th minute with another incisive run and finish.

Eom completed his hat-trick just before the interval, breaking through unmarked and placing his effort beyond the goalkeeper in the 45+1st minute.

South Korea continued to dominate after the restart and added a fourth in the 66th minute when Kim Myeong-jung made his way into the area before sending a low shot into the net.

Qatar pulled one goal back in the 85th minute through Marwan Sharif, who seized on a loose ball in the Korean defence before firing into the net.

A total of 15 teams are competing in the football tournament, divided into four groups. Three groups contain four teams each, while Group D features three teams, with Qatar drawn alongside South Korea and Saudi Arabia.

The group stage is being played in a single round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group advancing directly to the quarterfinals. The tournament then continues in a knockout format through to the final and the third-place playoff.