Category: Sports

South Korean football champions Ulsan HD FC crashed out of the semifinals in the top Asian club tournament Wednesday, unable to hold on to an early lead in their pursuit of a third continental title. Ulsan lost to 10-man Yokohama F. Marinos 5-4 in the penalty shootout in the second leg of the semifinals at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League at Yokohama International Stadium in rainy Yokohama, Japan. The teams were all knotted at 3-3 in the aggregate score, following Ulsan's 1-0 win in the opening leg last week and Yokohama's 3-2 edge in the second leg. The two sides remained tied after 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of extra time. In the shootout, Yokohama goalkeeper William Popp denied Ulsan's fifth penalty taker, Kim Min-woo, and Eduardo converted his chance to send Yokohama to the final. Ulsan, who struck the woodwork three times Wednesday, were chasing their third AFC title, after winning it in 2012 and 2020. Yokohama struck first only 13 minutes into the contest, capita lizing on some shoddy defense by Ulsan. Yan Matheus sent a cross from the right wing, and the ball went off the knee of Yokohama's South Korean midfielder Nam Tae-hee and bounced into the box. Two Ulsan defenders, Hwang Seok-ho and Kim Young-gwon, both hesitated and couldn't clear the ball. That allowed Asahi Uenaka to pounce on the ball and score past goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo. Anderson Lopes doubled Yokohama's lead in the match and gave them a 2-1 lead on aggregate in the 21st minute, finding the bottom right corner with his left-footed shot. Defender Kim Young-gwon stood in front of him without closing the gap near the center of the box. Yokohama opened up a 3-0 lead at the half-hour mark, as Uenaka netted his second goal of the match. After receiving a pass from Nam a few feet outside the area, Uenaka was allowed to dribble toward the box untouched and unleash a right-footed shot. It put Yokohama up 3-1 on aggregate. Ulsan refused to go away. Matheus Sales put the South Korean club on the board in the 3 5th minute with a header goal, set up by Lee Dong-gyeong's corner. With Ulsan now down 3-2 on aggregate, the match took a dramatic turn four minutes later when Ulsan earned a penalty. Takumi Kamijima was called for a handball violation inside the box while trying to stop Um Won-sang on a counter break and ended up getting a straight red card. Darijan Bojanic then scored the ensuing penalty to level the aggregate score at 3-3. Ulsan came within inches of taking the lead when Lee Dong-gyeong struck the crossbar with a right-footed attempt from outside the box one minute into added time. After the restart, both clubs had a goal disallowed on offside calls. Ulsan thought they had grabbed a 4-3 aggregate lead in the opening moments of the second half, when Seol Young-woo teed up Bojanic for a right-footed shot inside the box. But a video review determined that Gustav Ludwigson had been offside on the play and the goal was wiped out. In the 62nd minute, Yan Matheus' header goal was also called back when the B razilian forward himself was ruled to have been in an offside position. Ulsan hit the woodwork for the second time in the 87th minute, with Kim Min-woo taking a shot as he fell and finding only the left goal post. Ulsan kept knocking on the Yokohama door, but the goal that would send them to the final did not come in regulation. About two minutes into the extra session, Kim Young-gwon tested goalkeeper William Popp with a midrange strike. In the 108th minute, Yokohama's Kota Mizunuma caught Ulsan defenders napping with a close-range shot, but Jo came up with a diving stop to keep the aggregate score tied. Kelvin found the left post with a right-footed attempt in the 114th minute, with Popp getting a piece of the ball on the hard shot. About a minute later, Kim Min-woo was ruled offside as he poked home a rebound after a chaotic scramble inside the box. In the shootout, the first four shooters for each side scored, before Kim Min-woo fumbled his left-footed attempt and Popp made a relatively easy save div ing to his left. Eduardo made no mistake and beat Jo to the bottom left corner to cap off the wild night in Yokohama. Source: Yonhap News Agency

Some fans of girl group NewJeans staged a protest outside the building of K-pop giant Hybe in Seoul on Wednesday, deploying a "protest truck" to voice their grievances against the chief of its sub-label in an escalating conflict with the parent company. "Min Hee-jin should no longer use NewJeans and its family," blared an electronic billboard mounted on the truck sent by the members of Bunnies, the group's fandom. Min is the CEO of ADOR. Other messages repeatedly flashed included, "Min immediately stop disparaging other artists" and "Bunnies support NewJeans under Hybe." Min has been locking horns with Hybe, claiming that ILLIT, a new girl group launched by another sub-label of Hybe last month, copied NewJeans, a product of her label's creativity. She raised the issue once again in a statement released Monday after Hybe launched an audit into her and her aides over their alleged attempt to seize management control of their company. She has denied the allegations. Min officially responded to Hybe's audit questionnaire Wednesday. Hybe declined to comment on the details of Min's response, citing legal constraints. NewJeans is scheduled to drop a new single titled "How Sweet" on May 24. Source: Yonhap News Agency

SSG Landers slugger Choi Jeong is the new home run king in South Korean baseball. Choi launched his 468th home run off Lotte Giants starter Lee In-bok at Sajik Baseball Stadium in the southeastern city of Busan on Wednesday, passing former Samsung Lions star Lee Seung-yuop on the all-time home run list in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). With the Landers trailing 7-4, Choi came up with two outs in the top of the fifth inning for his third plate appearance. Choi drilled a first-pitch slider and sent it into left-field seats for the record-breaking homer. The ball left Choi's bat at 145 kilometers per hour and traveled 110 meters. After Choi rounded the bases, Landers manager Lee Sung-yong greeted the veteran with a hug and a wreath of flowers. The game was put on hold momentarily for a quick on-field ceremony for Choi, who was joined by Landers captain Choo Shin-soo. Giants captain Jeon Jun-woo also offered his congratulations on Choi's accomplishment. This was Choi's first game since last Wednesda y, when he suffered a bruised rib after taking an errant pitch to his left side. Choi was initially diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his left rib, but further tests Thursday revealed only a bruise, which still forced Choi to miss the next four games. Choi was back in the starting lineup Tuesday. But that game was called off before the start of the top fifth due to heavy downpours. Choi had doubled in the first inning. Choi suffered that rib injury a day after drawing level with Lee with a solo home run. This was Choi's 2,185th game. Lee retired in 2017 after hitting a couple of homers in his final, 1,906th game. With 10 home runs this season, Choi is halfway to becoming the first KBO hitter to smack at least 20 home runs in nine consecutive years. Choi, 37, has spent his entire 20-year career with the Landers franchise. He made his KBO debut in 2005 as an 18-year-old, when the team was called the SK Wyverns under a different corporate owner. Choi followed that up with 12 home runs in 2006 and has r eached double digits in homers in every season since then. That 19-year run is the longest such streak in KBO history. Lee, now manager of the Doosan Bears, had been the KBO's home run king since belting his 352nd home run on June 20, 2013. Source: Yonhap News Agency

For the first time in two weeks, Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres has posted a multihit effort. Kim went 2-for-4 and scored a run against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver on Tuesday (local time), though the Padres lost the game 7-4. It was Kim's first multihit game since April 10 against the Chicago Cubs. He is now batting .228 for the season. Kim also stole his team-leading seventh bag of the season. Batting fifth, Kim got an infield single off starter Ryan Feltner in the top of the first, with third baseman Ryan McMahon unable to make a play on a slow dribbler. Kim then picked up his second hit off Feltner in the third inning with a single to left. Kim swiped second base and scored on Luis Campusano's double to give the Padres a 3-1 lead. Kim popped out to first in the fifth and flied out to center in the seventh. The Padres blew a 4-1 lead as their two-game winning streak came to an end. Also on Tuesday, the one other South Korean player in the majors, Lee Jung-hoo of the San Fran cisco Giants, saw his on-base streak end at 13 games. Lee batted 0-for-4 in the Giants' 5-1 victory over the New York Mets at Oracle Park in San Diego. His batting average dropped from .284 to .272. Lee had reached base safely in 13 straight games prior to this game. Facing starter Luis Severino, Lee led off the first winning with a groundout to second. Lee hit a groundout to shortstop in the fourth and to first in the fifth. Then in the seventh, Lee popped out to third. With 25 hits and 13 runs scored, Lee ranks second among all rookies in the majors this year. Source: Yonhap News Agency

Football Association, Thai small table team ready to duel Iraq in the final 8 of the Asian Futsal Championship. To win a ticket to compete in the world championship this evening. movement The Thai national futsal team yesterday practiced at the Football Association of Thailand stadium before competing in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2024, round of 8, meeting the Iraq national team in the Asian Futsal Championship, round of 8, with "Bi" "Kpom" Adisak Benjasiriwan Vice President of the Football Association of Thailand Came to watch the training and give encouragement on the sidelines. In this game, if the Thai team wins, Mr. Suthin Buatun, the team manager, will inject 5 hundred thousand baht after injecting 1 million baht in the first round by Miguel Rodrigo, the Thai national team coach. Spend 2 hours practicing to tutor the team members. As for the condition of all players, they are perfect after Krit Aransanyaluck. Those who were injured were able to return to practice with their teammates as usual. Miguel s aid that this game is an important game in securing a ticket to the world championship. Which is not to underestimate Iraq. Because it is a good team and has a great coach. But the goal of the Thai team is to go to the Futsal World Championship, and they must win this game. The team won in this round. will get to play in the world championship Final round in Uzbekistan In September immediately If Uzbekistan wins in this round, they will find 1 more team from the 8 eliminated teams to play in the playoffs. Because Uzbekistan already has the right to host the Futsal World Cup. For the program for the final 8 teams, there are 4 matches today starting at 2:00 p.m. Tajikistan meets Afghanistan at the Huamark Indoor Stadium at 4:00 p.m. Iran meets Kyrgyzstan at the Bangkok Arena at 6:00 p.m. Thailand meets Iraq at Indoor Stadium Hua Mak and at 9:00 p.m. Uzbekistan meets Vietnam at Bangkok Arena. Source: Thai News Agency

It will be a battle of two Korean-born tacticians when South Korea take on Indonesia in their first knockout match at the Olympic men's football qualifiers in Qatar this week. The two teams will square off in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha. The kick off is 8:30 p.m. Thursday local time, or 2:30 a.m. Friday in Seoul. This tournament is also the AFC qualifying tournament for the Paris Olympics. The top three teams -- the two finalists and the winner of the third-place match -- will punch their tickets to France, while the fourth-place team will face Guinea in an intercontinental playoff. Coached by Hwang Sun-hong, South Korea ran the table in Group B, beating the United Arab Emirates, China and Japan in succession while scoring four goals and conceding none. Indonesia, with Shin Tae-yong at the helm, finished second in Group A, after losing to Qatar 2-0 but beating Australia 1-0 and Jordan 4-1. South Korea will try to exten d their Olympic appearance streak to 10. Indonesia will seek a return to the Olympics for the first time since their only appearance in 1956. Hwang and Shin are widely considered among the greatest players in South Korean football history, with Hwang enjoying more international success and Shin making his name in the domestic K League. Hwang, 55, ranks second on the all-time national team scoring list with 50 goals. He is 15th overall with 103 caps. Shin, 53, won the K League MVP awards in 1995 and 2001, and was the first player to be voted the MVP multiple times in league history. He helped his Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma club win six league championships and he also claimed the scoring title in 1996 despite being a midfielder. They coached against each other in the K League from 2009 to 2012, with Hwang's Busan IPark and Pohang Steelers registering three wins, four draws and one loss against Shin's Seongnam. Shin coached South Korea at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where his team stunned the defending champions G ermany 2-0 in the group stage. Hwang has worked with the under-23 national team for a few years but has not yet been in charge of the senior squad, except on a caretaker basis for two World Cup qualifying matches last month. Hwang is believed to have the inside track on the vacant senior national team job, but failing to qualify for the Olympics with the U-23 squad could be a huge blow to whatever chances Hwang may have. Shin has taken his upstart Indonesia team to the knockout stage for the first time at this biennial AFC tournament. Shin called up four foreign-born players of Indonesian descent for this tournament, including midfielder Ivar Jenner, forward Rafael Struick, and defenders Nathan Tjoe-A-On and Justin Hubner. This quartet and a few other players also represented Indonesia at the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar earlier this year, getting a taste of senior competition before jumping into the Olympic qualifiers. This gives Indonesia an edge in experience over South Korea, with only forward Kang Sung-ji n, forward Jeong Sang-bin and midfielder Eom Ji-sung having logged a combined four caps for the senior side. All three have played big minutes for Hwang so far, but forward Lee Young-jun has been the one-man engine for the offense, having netted three of the team's four goals so far. But Lee did not play in the final group match against Japan. South Korea had already secured a knockout berth before that rival showdown, and Hwang rested Lee and several other regulars ahead of the quarterfinals. Source: Yonhap News Agency

For the first time in two weeks, Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres has posted a multihit effort. Kim went 2-for-4 and scored a run against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver on Tuesday (local time), though the Padres lost the game 7-4. It was Kim's first multihit game since April 10 against the Chicago Cubs. He is now batting .228 for the season. Kim also stole his team-leading seventh bag of the season. Batting fifth, Kim got an infield single off starter Ryan Feltner in the top of the first, with third baseman Ryan McMahon unable to make a play on a slow dribbler. Kim then picked up his second hit off Feltner in the third inning with a single to left. Kim swiped second base and scored on Luis Campusano's double to give the Padres a 3-1 lead. Kim popped out to first in the fifth and flied out to center in the seventh. The Padres blew a 4-1 lead as their two-game winning streak came to an end. Also on Tuesday, the one other South Korean player in the majors, Lee Jung-hoo of the San Fran cisco Giants, saw his on-base streak end at 13 games. Lee batted 0-for-4 in the Giants' 5-1 victory over the New York Mets at Oracle Park in San Diego. His batting average dropped from .284 to .272. Lee had reached base safely in 13 straight games prior to this game. Facing starter Luis Severino, Lee led off the first winning with a groundout to second. Lee hit a groundout to shortstop in the fourth and to first in the fifth. Then in the seventh, Lee popped out to third. With 25 hits and 13 runs scored, Lee ranks second among all rookies in the majors this year. Source: Yonhap News Agency

It will be a battle of two Korean-born tacticians when South Korea take on Indonesia in their first knockout match at the Olympic men's football qualifiers in Qatar this week. The two teams will square off in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha. The kick off is 8:30 p.m. Thursday local time, or 2:30 a.m. Friday in Seoul. This tournament is also the AFC qualifying tournament for the Paris Olympics. The top three teams -- the two finalists and the winner of the third-place match -- will punch their tickets to France, while the fourth-place team will face Guinea in an intercontinental playoff. Coached by Hwang Sun-hong, South Korea ran the table in Group B, beating the United Arab Emirates, China and Japan in succession while scoring four goals and conceding none. Indonesia, with Shin Tae-yong at the helm, finished second in Group A, after losing to Qatar 2-0 but beating Australia 1-0 and Jordan 4-1. South Korea will try to exten d their Olympic appearance streak to 10. Indonesia will seek a return to the Olympics for the first time since their only appearance in 1956. Hwang and Shin are widely considered among the greatest players in South Korean football history, with Hwang enjoying more international success and Shin making his name in the domestic K League. Hwang, 55, ranks second on the all-time national team scoring list with 50 goals. He is 15th overall with 103 caps. Shin, 53, won the K League MVP awards in 1995 and 2001, and was the first player to be voted the MVP multiple times in league history. He helped his Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma club win six league championships and he also claimed the scoring title in 1996 despite being a midfielder. They coached against each other in the K League from 2009 to 2012, with Hwang's Busan IPark and Pohang Steelers registering three wins, four draws and one loss against Shin's Seongnam. Shin coached South Korea at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where his team stunned the defending champions G ermany 2-0 in the group stage. Hwang has worked with the under-23 national team for a few years but has not yet been in charge of the senior squad, except on a caretaker basis for two World Cup qualifying matches last month. Hwang is believed to have the inside track on the vacant senior national team job, but failing to qualify for the Olympics with the U-23 squad could be a huge blow to whatever chances Hwang may have. Shin has taken his upstart Indonesia team to the knockout stage for the first time at this biennial AFC tournament. Shin called up four foreign-born players of Indonesian descent for this tournament, including midfielder Ivar Jenner, forward Rafael Struick, and defenders Nathan Tjoe-A-On and Justin Hubner. This quartet and a few other players also represented Indonesia at the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar earlier this year, getting a taste of senior competition before jumping into the Olympic qualifiers. This gives Indonesia an edge in experience over South Korea, with only forward Kang Sung-ji n, forward Jeong Sang-bin and midfielder Eom Ji-sung having logged a combined four caps for the senior side. All three have played big minutes for Hwang so far, but forward Lee Young-jun has been the one-man engine for the offense, having netted three of the team's four goals so far. But Lee did not play in the final group match against Japan. South Korea had already secured a knockout berth before that rival showdown, and Hwang rested Lee and several other regulars ahead of the quarterfinals. Source: Yonhap News Agency