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Taeguk Warriors fall short in EAFF, leaving manager with World Cup selection questions — and answers

Published: 16 Jul. 2025, 18:39 Updated: 16 Jul. 2025, 23:47

Thomas McCarthy
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The Korean men's national football team sings the national anthem before the start of a 2025 East Asian Football Confederation E-1 Championship match against China at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on July 7. [YONHAP]

Korea came away short in the 10th East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship on home soil on Tuesday after losing to Japan 1-0 in the Taeguk Warriors’ final match of the round-robin style tournament.

Team Korea entered the tournament with a squad devoid of Europe-based players as the EAFF isn’t part of FIFA’s international match calendar, exempting clubs from the requirement to release players. Thus, the team sheet was composed entirely of footballers from the K League system or Japan’s J1 League, with more than enough players to field a full starting XI going on to get their first caps in the tournament.

Forward Lee Ho-jae celebrates after scoring against Hong Kong in a 2025 East Asian Football Confederation E-1 Championship match against China at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on July 11. [YONHAP]

Korea, hosting this year’s edition, kicked off the tournament with a 3-0 rout of China at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Gyeonggi on July 7, with winger Lee Dong-gyeong and forward Joo Min-kyu getting on the scoresheet in the first half. Center-half Kim Ju-sung topped off the scoring in the second half to clinch three points from the opener.

Manager Hong Myung-bo opted for a 3-4-3 formation reminiscent of the tactics deployed during his captaincy under Korean footballing legend Guus Hiddink in 2002, and it appeared to pay off.

Korean men's national football team manager Hong Myung-bo gives instructions from the touchline during a 2025 East Asian Football Confederation E-1 Championship match against Japan at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on July 15. [YONHAP]

The side went into its second match against Hong Kong on July 11 at the same venue in much the same way, which proved to be a sound tactical decision as the Taeguk Warriors stormed to a 2-0 win with 78 percent possession. Kang Sang-yoon and Lee Ho-jae both opened their scoring accounts with the senior side as the team claimed three points.

All that was left, then, was a showdown with bitter rivals Japan in the final match of the round-robin on Tuesday. Nothing short of a win would do for Korea, with Japan level on points but ahead on goal difference. Hong opted to revert to his tried and sometimes-true formation of 4-2-3-1, which appeared to be a mistake as the side went into the second half down 1-0.

In Korea’s first match-up against a World Cup-quality side in this tournament, the continental hodge-podge’s panicky, tactically erratic route-one approach will provide Hong with both questions and answers when it comes to his final selection for next year — with the absence of his European-based players painfully evident.

The Korean men's national football team walks off the pitch as the Japanese side celebrates a 1-0 victory to clinch the title at the 2025 East Asian Football Confederation E-1 Championship at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on July 15. [YONHAP]

Though his side had more possession, the slightest sniff at goal in the final third rendered any downfield progress futile as the instinct to blindly hoof the ball toward the net took over, while Japan deliberately sat deep until the prime opportunity to press high presented itself.

The Samurai Blue didn’t pose much of an attacking threat in the final third, either, but played much more controlled, structured football, and even with a deep defensive line, hardly looked disorganized or stressed. That composure merited the EAFF title this year, leaving the Taeguk Warriors — and Hong — with the ignominious task of dissecting the team's shortcomings.

The tournament’s unique format meant that the women’s sides were also in action at the same time, with the Korean women off to a rocky start with a 2-2 draw against China at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Gyeonggi on July 9. The goals came from Jang Sel-gi (who went mildly viral for her "outrageous" goal and subsequent "shy" celebration two years ago) and Ji So-yun.

The Taeguk Ladies then faced Japan on Sunday, holding them to a 1-1 draw at Hwaseong Stadium in Gyeonggi, with Jeong Da-bin pulling level late in the second half in a fairly even match.

Midfielder Ji So-yun of the Korean women's national football team dribbles into Japan's penalty area during a 2025 East Asian Football Confederation E-1 Championship match at Hwaseong Sports Complex in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, on July 13. [YONHAP]

However unlikely, the title was still mathematically within reach for the side as they went into their final match against Chinese Taipei on Wednesday night with two points, two off Japan and China, separated only by a goal difference of two, meaning a draw in that match and win for Korea would see the ladies leapfrog to the top of the table on goals scored in head-to-head matches.

The calculus must have kicked in for the Taeguk Ladies at some point during the match at Suwon World Cup Stadium: After a statistically imbalanced — this cannot be stressed enough — but fruitless first half, Korea knocked on the door until they decided to just brute force it open by drawing a penalty in the 70th minute that was converted by Kang Chae-rim. The death knell was rung by Jang in the 85th minute, delivering Korea the title in a most unusual scenario; Korea had the best head-to-head goal total, with the Ladies' 2-2 draw against China delivering the boost they needed to pip Japan, who logged a 0-0 draw with China.

The Korean women's national football team celebrates clinching the 2025 East Asian Football Confederation E-1 Championship after a 2-0 win over Chinese Taipei at Suwon World Cup Stadium on July 16. [YONHAP]

The result lent itself heavily to the format of the tournament; a round-robin, single-leg structure, although, based on the number of draws in the group, no particular side looked particularly sharp.

Luckily for both Korean managers, there is plenty of time to get their houses in order, starting with solid foundations.

Updated, July 16, 2025: Added the conclusion of the women's tournament, which saw Korea claim the title and Jang Seul-gi look just as shy collecting the tournament's MVP award as she did after her 2023 screamer.

Defender Jang Seul-gi of the Korean women's national football team accepts the MVP award for the East Asian Football Confederation E-1 Championship on home soil on July 16. [YONHAP]

BY THOMAS MCCARTHY [[email protected]]