The men’s national soccer team at the Asian Games, led by head coach Hwang Sun-hong, beat Japan 2-1 in the final at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games at Huanglong Sports Center in Hangzhou, China, on the 7th. He achieved the feat of winning three tournaments in a row.
Cho Young-wook, who served as a front-line striker throughout the tournament, was promoted to corporal on the 1st. After a week of promotion, he was discharged early. In the final match, Cho Young-wook also showed concentration at the gate in the 11th minute of the second half and set the stage for victory with a come-from-behind goal. 안전놀이터
Cho Young-wook, who I met after the game, was not happy. Cho Young-wook said, “I didn’t report my discharge. I’m still a soldier. I did what I had to do,” he said calmly. When Cho Young-wook lost the first point in the first two minutes, he quickly moved to the half-line with the ball in the goal. “I never thought, ‘I’m in trouble’. I thought I could do it if I was cool. I was not agitated because I thought my colleagues felt the same way. I thought about what to do for the team,” he explained.
After the championship was confirmed, the national team sprayed water and cheered fiercely. He also sang the national anthem while looking at the national flag at the highest point. Cho Young-wook said, “The players played music and danced. “I watched it happily,” he said. “I feel overwhelmed especially when I come to international competitions and listen to the national anthem before the game. Our players were standing at a high place and the Taegeukgi was at the highest place. “As a player, I felt good and overwhelmed,” he stressed.
Cho Young-wook will retire from the national team by age after this competition. It filled 85 games. Cho Young-wook said, “I think the final is the most memorable no matter how much I think about it. I feel good to finish well. Now there was a part that Hwang believed a lot, too. It’s good to repay you,” he explained.
What kind of director Hwang was with. Cho Young-wook said, “What I heard a lot ahead of the match against Japan was not to doubt it. If you do what you do, you will win no matter what. So it became the driving force to get back up even after losing a point,” he said.
There was also a mischievous question for him. Coach Hwang will start preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics immediately, although the Asian Games are over. When asked if coach Hwang would respond if he called Cho Young-wook back to the Paris Olympics, Cho Young-wook said, “It really won’t happen,” and avoided answering, “I’m grateful if I have such an opportunity with the national flag, but I don’t think I will.”