The game was played without a VAR, but the goal line was clearly crossed. We’re talking about China’s goal. It’s an infuriating call, but there’s more to it than that. Why were the players holding their hands up?
South Korea’s U-24 national team, led by Hwang Sun-hong, won 3-1 against China in the U-24 national team friendly at the Jinhua Sports Center in China at 7 p.m. on Friday. South Korea won its first away match in preparation for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, thanks to a brace from Uhm Won-sang in the fifth and eighth minutes of the second half and a goal from Jung Woo-young in the 15th minute of the second half, holding the Chinese to a single goal from Suhao Yang in the 17th minute.
The controversial goal came in the 17th minute from China’s winger Su Haoyang. The ball was played down the left flank inside the South Korean box, and Tao Qinlong raced to the end of the touchline and sent a cross into the box.
Like Japan striker Kaoru Mitoma, who saved a difficult cross for an assist against Spain at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the effort to keep the ball alive was commendable, but it was clearly over the line. But the referee didn’t call it, and Su Huaoyang rattled the net with a header from Tao Qinlong’s cross. It was a stolen goal for South Korea.
It was a bitter pill to swallow. But even more bitter was the attitude of the Korean players. When Tao Qinlong tried to cross, the Korean players in the box arbitrarily decided they were out and stopped playing. This is why they were slow to react when Su Huaoyang attempted a header in front of the goal. Regardless of the officiating, this is not a good attitude. If the referee’s error accounted for 9% of the goal, it’s safe to say that the Korean players’ habit of stopping play when they thought the ball was out accounted for the other 1%.
It remains to be seen if VAR will be used at the Asian Games, but this situation could happen in the future. And if you’re facing the hosts, China, in the tournament, it’s very likely that you’ll be the victim of a call like this again. It’s understandable to be upset with the referee’s call, and it can take your focus off the game, but you shouldn’t stop playing. If you lose a game because of a goal like this, you can’t replay the game, even if you voice your opinion that it was a bad call. If the referee doesn’t blow the whistle, you have to finish the game, even if you don’t understand it. 스포츠토토