The gap between Korea and Japan remains.
The Korean university selection team led by coach Park Kyu-sun lost 0-2 to the Japanese university selection team at the 2024 Denso Cup Korea-Japan regular soccer match held at Anyang Stadium on Sunday. Since...
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The gap between Korea and Japan remains.The Korean university selection team led by coach Park Kyu-sun lost 0-2 to the Japanese university selection team at the 2024 Denso Cup Korea-Japan regular soccer match held at Anyang Stadium on Sunday. Since the competition was reorganized into the Denso Cup in 2004, the team has continued to be inferior to the opponent team with eight wins, two draws and 10 losses.
Park won four gold medals in college last year through his signature "backward buildup." He was in charge of the college selection team this time, and conducted training sessions in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province for 10 days. He also had exhibition matches with professional teams.
However, time was running out to color Park. The Korean college admissions team found no significant opportunity to stage offense. Build-ups gradually declined in frequency, and in the second half, they mainly used long balls to stage offensives.
On the other hand, the Japanese university selection team made good use of the opportunity that they came to. The Japanese university selection team scored the first goal in the 10th minute of the second half. Kenta Nemoto hit the ball with a header from Yu Hashimoto, and Kotaru Uchino, who was jumping in, scored with his head. An additional goal was scored in the 25th minute of the second half. After blocking the Korean ball, Najawa Nobuteru passed without greed in the penalty box. Kotaru Uchino pushed it with his left foot to break the goal. The game ended with a two-goal gap.
After the game, Park strongly expressed regret. "The players did not show even a third of what they had prepared. I think I trained too much. I am upset. I felt a difference between the Japanese players' attitude toward the game and the things I needed to do (in the stadium). It is disappointing for me, too. I feel the Korean leadership including myself should reflect on it," Park said.
At the first and second grade championships held on the previous day, Yongin University as a representative team had a 2-2 draw with Waseda University. The women's college selection team was completely defeated 1-4 for the second consecutive year. The Denso Cup, which has been expanded since last year, has failed to secure even a single win for two consecutive years. On the ground, experts say that the gap between Korea and Japan is widening.
"Japanese players have learned a lot from elementary, middle, and high schools to college. We lack such skills," Park said. "We want to continue exchange matches with Japan. Players are very nervous. When a match starts, they don't look at the ball. I think they will get better if they engage in exchange matches more often."
Coach Park Joon-hong, who led Yongin University to the championship for the first and second graders, also said, "There is definitely a gap (between Korea and Japan). I am feeling it. Japanese officials judged that Korean universities cannot beat Japanese universities," adding, "I think we have a lot to learn in Japan, always telling the players. I told them that we need to learn something."
