Korea Loses to Japan, Fails to Win E-1 Football Championship

Korea suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat to Japan in its third and last round-robin match of the 2022 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship in Toyota, Japan on Wednesday.

Korea went into the match confident of winning its fourth consecutive championship title, needing only a draw. However, it put in a lackluster performance against Japan throughout the match.

It was Japan's second victory at the biennial event, the first coming in 2013.

Korea lagged behind Japan in every aspect, including individual skills, teamwork and grit. Japan, which needed to win the match to claim the title, applied constant pressure from the outset, and Korea failed to break through the Japanese defense to create scoring opportunities.

Its defense also failed against Japan's strong offense, allowing three goals in the second half.

Japanese forward Yuki Soma scored the opener in the 49th minute, followed by a header from Sho Sasaki in the 63rd minute. Shuto Machino scored Japan's last goal in the 72nd minute.

The defeat should give the Korean national squad led by coach Paulo Bento a chance to work on their weaknesses before heading to the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November.