[ANCHOR]

안전놀이터After being thrashed by Qatar in their last match, the U-22 national soccer team will face Kyrgyzstan in the U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers tomorrow (September 9).

It will be interesting to see how the team performs against a team that is considered to be one of the lower-ranked teams.

Kwak Jun-young is a reporter.

[Reporter]

Hwang Sun-hong’s U-22 national team will face Kyrgyzstan in their second Asian Cup qualifier in Changwon.

They are ranked 97th in the FIFA rankings and have only played the U-23 national team once in their history, which we won comfortably.

We currently sit in first place in Group B, with Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan tied for second and South Korea third after a 1-1 draw in their previous match.

Qatar, who automatically qualify for the Asian Cup as hosts, are not included in the standings.

We are virtually guaranteed to finish top of the group in order to qualify for the Asian Cup with a spot at the Paris Olympics at stake.

That’s why we can’t afford to be caught off guard by the underrated Kyrgyzstan.

It’s not just about the result, it’s also about the performance.

Earlier, coach Hwang Sun-hong expressed his determination to win all the games in the qualifiers,

“We are preparing not only to advance to the main round, but also to play well and win every game.”

After a lethargic first match, the team lost 0-2 to Qatar at Anbang.

Although we brought out players who are active in the K League, such as Uhm Ji Sung and Heo Yul, to attack, the tip of the spear was dull and the defense was vulnerable to counterattacks.

It was a match that confirmed a lot of homework, as it was a quality opponent that we could meet again in the Asian Cup main event, where the first through third place finishers would get a direct ticket to Paris.

It will be interesting to see if the U-22 team, which had a creaky start to its journey to Paris, can dispel the concerns with a win and a better performance this time around.