Lee Young-pyo predicted that the AG soccer finals will be between Korea and Japan
Lee Young-pyo predicted that the AG soccer finals will be between Korea and Japan
KBS soccer commentator Lee Young-pyo of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, which is showing signs of improvement, predicted, “The final will be a match between Korea and Japan.”

Previously, in a behind-the-scenes video on KBS Sports YouTube, Commissioner Lee Young-pyo predicted the score of Korea's match against Bahrain in the third round of the group stage as "3-0", showing an impressive accuracy rate. In addition, he made a 'pinpoint prediction' regarding the third match between North Korea and Indonesia in Group F, saying, "I don't think North Korea will lose to Indonesia." In fact, North Korea defeated Indonesia 1-0 and advanced to the round of 16 as first place in the group.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Lee Young-pyo also expressed concern, predicting that Korea's opponent in the quarterfinals would be China. Commissioner Lee Young-pyo said, "The atmosphere in China is quite good right now. One thing I'm worried about is that it's China's home and there is no VAR (video assistant referee system). Even if a mistake is made, there is no choice but to let it go, so if we meet China in the quarterfinals, “We have to completely dominate them. It has the potential to be a very difficult match,” he explained.

Committee member Lee Young-pyo and caster Nam Hyeon-jong expressed their disappointment about China's non-introduction of VAR in the Asian Games, saying, "When I came to China, the technology was amazing. I was surprised because there was no need to use cash and there was a system where everything was handled with just a cell phone." Commissioner Lee Young-pyo delivered a message of support to the national soccer team, saying, "In the game against China, there should be no room for judgment to interfere. I will support them so that they can cleanly defeat the opponent and advance without controversy."

Commissioner Lee Young-pyo predicted that Korea's opponent in the semifinals would be Saudi Arabia. Commissioner Lee Young-pyo said, "I think Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia will play in the quarterfinals. Uzbekistan has shown a very strong performance in recent Asian Games, and Saudi Arabia is a traditional powerhouse. If I had to choose, I think Saudi Arabia will win out of the two." analyzed.

Caster Nam Hyeon-jong cautiously said, “Then we will meet Saudi Arabia and win, and in the finals... is that it?” In response, Commissioner Lee Young-pyo said, "Honestly, is there any point in predicting something that has no chance of being correct?" and made people laugh, looking uncharacteristically embarrassed like a 'tweezers expert.' When caster Nam Hyeon-jong said, “Wouldn’t it be more interesting if there was actually a Korea-Japan match in the finals?”, member Lee Young-pyo predicted a semifinal match between Iran and Japan, and a final match between Korea and Japan.

Korean men's soccer will enter a tournament that cannot be backed down, starting with the round of 16 against Kyrgyzstan on the evening of the 27th. The Hangzhou Asian Games men's soccer round of 16 match against Kyrgyzstan will be broadcast live on KBS 2TV starting at 8:30 this evening.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr