Red Card and Coaching Dismissal Mar South Korea's Efforts in AFC U-23 Asian Cup Quarterfinals

Courtesy of Korea Football Association

In the Olympic men's football qualifiers held in Qatar on Thursday, South Korea faced a heartbreaking defeat to Indonesia, losing 11-10 on penalties and failing to secure a spot in the Paris Olympics.

The match, held at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, saw Indonesia's Pratama Arhan score the decisive penalty kick after South Korea's Lee Kang-hee was denied by Indonesia's goalkeeper, Ernando Ari.

This tournament, which serves as the AFC qualifying tournament for the Paris Olympics, determines the top three teams to earn direct qualification, while the fourth-place team faces Guinea in an intercontinental playoff match.

▲ Courtesy of Korea Football AssociationSouth Korea's bid to qualify for their tenth consecutive Olympic men's football tournament came to an end after falling to Indonesia. The defeat marked the first time South Korea failed to advance to the Olympics in nine consecutive appearances.

The match took a turn for South Korea in the 70th minute when Lee Young-jun received a straight red card for a hard foul on Justin Hubner. Subsequently, South Korea's head coach, Hwang Sun-hong, was also sent off for arguing with the referee.

Despite playing with a numerical disadvantage, South Korea managed to equalize in the 84th minute through Jeong Sang-bin's goal. The match was sent into extra time, during which neither team scored.

The outcome was determined by a dramatic penalty shootout, during which South Korea initially appeared to have secured victory before a VAR review led to a retake of Indonesia's fifth penalty kick. Ultimately, it was Arhan's successful penalty kick that sealed the win for Indonesia, ending South Korea's Olympic qualification hopes.

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