Action from the Korea Republic-Jordan third-fourth place playoff. AFC photo by Stanley Chou

By Chetan Kulkarni

KOLKATA: A goal each in the second half from Shim Young-sung and Lee Chung-yong helped Korea Republic down Jordan 2-0 and finish third in the AFC Youth Championship here at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday.

Shim Young-sung opened Korea Republic’s account in the 50th minute and Lee Chung-yong made it 2-0 in the 76th minute. This goal also helped Young-sung emerge as sole leader in the tournament’s top goalscorers’ list with five goals.

The Koreans enjoyed superior ball possession in the early midfield exchanges. The East Asians got the first crack at goal in the 15th minute but Jeong Kyung-ho’s low left-footer just missed the target. Six minutes later, Kyung-ho was unlucky to see his acrobatic effort sail over the bar.

Jordan had a half chance in the 29th minute when they earned a free kick on the edge of the box after Abdallah Salim was obstructed by Korean defender Bae Seung-jin but Salim’s shot hit the Korean wall.

In the 41st minute, Shin Young-rok, who has scored four goals so far in the event, saw his shot hit Jordan defender Ibrahim Zawahreh.

It was clear that the Jordanian defence was being overworked by the rampaging Koreans but the backline held up well to keep a clean slate in the first half.

Shim Young-sung opened the scoring for the 11-time champions five minutes into the restart when he barged into the box and skirted two markers to find the net.

In the 60th minute Shin Young-rok had a real chance but his delay in taking the shot helped Zawahreh and Tariq Al Jumah clear the threat.

Jordan, who made it to the semifinals of this tournament for the first time ever and also earned a ticket to the FIFA U-20 World Cup, failed to penetrate the water-tight Korean defence as striker Loiy Al Zaideh waged a lone battle upfront.

Lee Chung-yong doubled Korea Republic ’s advantage in the 76th minute. Substitute Kim Min-kyun, who replaced Shin Young-rok in the 71st minute, supplied the ball from the right into the box and Chung-yong tapped it in with ease.

Five minutes later, Lee Sang-ho’s weak header was pouched by Jordan goalkeeper Hamad Al Asmar.

Korea Republic coach Cho Dong-hyun praised the West Asians for their spirited play. “They have improved from the first day we played them in the group game. This is a good sign for Jordan football,” he said.

“We will analyze our performance in this tournament after reaching Korea and will try to work on our weaknesses before the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada next year.”

Jordan coach Jan Poulsen said: “Korea Republic is the best team in this tournament, closely followed by Japan. I think they should have been in the final.”

“My players managed to stop the Koreans till the first half but they stepped up a gear after the restart and managed to score two goals.”

“We are happy to play Korea again as it is a learning experience for our players. In order to prepare for the FIFA U-20 World Cup we have to play strong opponents. I will suggest having a camp either in Europe or Japan for the FIFA event.”