Tashkent: Korea Republic kicked off their defence of the AFC U23 Asian Cup™ title with a 4-1 win over Malaysia at the Lokomotiv Stadium on Thursday.
Lee Sang-min opened the defending champions' Uzbekistan 2022 Group C account just after the half hour mark with Kim Tae-hwan scoring from distance three minutes into the second half. Malaysia pulled one back through Mukhairi Ajmal in the 83rd minute but there was to be no fightback as Cho Young-wook scored twice in the closing minutes for an emphatic win.
Korea Republic, who won the tournament for the first time in 2020, threatened from the start with Kim Tae-hwan and Lee Kyu-hyuk causing problems for the Malaysian backline of Muhammad Azrin Afiq, Harith Haiqal and Zikri Khalili. .....
EAST ASIAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION
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10MA TOPICS! [KOREA FA] [AFC U23 ASIAN CUP] Group C: Korea Republic open title defence with win against Malaysia
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