'Just one win away from 4 consecutive titles' South Korea U-23 national football team reveals starting lineup for Korea-Japan final... Lee Young-jun as lone striker

[News & Book = Reporter Song Yeong-du] The South Korea U-23 national football team has finalized its final lineup to achieve the grand record of four consecutive Asian Games titles against their arch-rival Japan.

The South Korean team, led by coach Lee Min-sung, will face Japan in the men's football final of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, held at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 3rd.

After advancing to the tournament as the top seed in Group D by defeating Qatar and Saudi Arabia in succession, South Korea crushed Vietnam 4-0 in the quarterfinals and moved to the final by defeating China 2-1 in the semifinals. If South Korea wins today, they will achieve the first four consecutive titles in Asian Games football history following the 2014 Incheon, 2018 Jakarta–Palembang, and 2022 Hangzhou tournaments, securing their 6th total gold medal.

In the starting lineup revealed ahead of this crucial match, Lee Young-jun has been selected as the front-line striker. Yang Min-hyuk, Bae Jun-ho, Eom Ji-sung, Lee Seung-won, and Lee Ki-hyuk are positioned in the second line and midfield to support offense and defense. The defensive line will be built by Kim Ji-su, Choi Seok-hyun, Bae Hyun-seo, and Shin Min-ha, while Kim Jun-hong guards the goal.

There have been some changes to the starting lineup compared to the previous match against China. Instead of Hwang Do-yun and Lee Hyun-ju starting from the bench, Yang Min-hyuk and Lee Ki-hyuk have newly joined the starting lineup. Meanwhile, Yang Hyun-jun, who is suffering from the effects of a hamstring injury, has been excluded from the starting lineup for the third consecutive match.