Korea beats Japan 4-1 to win East Asian Championship

South Korean men's football head coach Shin Tae-yong finished the year by claiming a regional title in Tokyo after figuring out how to handle Kim Shin-wook (Jeonbuk).

Although the Korean team surrendered a goal immediately after the kickoff of the 2017 East Asia Football Federation E-1 Championship (East Asia Cup) held in Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, it has turned the game around completely and won the game by 4 to 1.

Concentration of Korean players stood out. It was different from tournaments with China and North Korea, where the South Koran team seemed rather relaxed. Kim Shin-wook and Lee Keun-ho (Gangwon), who were partners at the front line, not to mention Kim Jin-soo (Jeonbuk), Kim Min-woo (Suwon) and Go Yo-han (Seoul) took the lead, running tirelessly for the entire 90 minutes.

The Synergy mid-fielders Lee Jae-sung and Kim Min-woo was worth noticing. Lee. During the first 35 minutes of the game, Lee, who continued to attack empty spots, made a through pass to Kim Shin-wook by attacking his counterpart and helped South Korea to acquire its third goal. Kim made a left foot shoot with this pass and scored a goal.

Lee, who recorded one goal, and aided two goals at this tournament, was nominated as the most valuable player (MVP), while receiving the best dual player award, which was granted for the first time at this game.

Coach Shin Tae-yong was able to gain confidence by winning this tournament, which explains his smile and calmness for the first time in front of reporters after the game.

Jae-Yeong Yoo elegant@donga.com