Sport | Football
A Japanese hero from Korea
Lee came in as substitute to score the winning goal in the final against Australia
- Unknown user
- Published: 00:00 January 31, 2011
- Image Credit: AP
- Japan’s Tadanari Lee celebrates scoring the winning goal against Australia during the final of the AFC Asian Cup match in Doha on Saturday.
Doha: He failed to make the cut for South Korea's under-19 team, and opted to play for Japan instead of North Korea. He also made it to the Asian Cup because Takayuki Morimoto was injured, but that did not stop Tadanari Lee from becoming the latest hero for the football-mad Japanese.
Italian Alberto Zaccheroni sent the 25 year old — who had earlier appeared as a substitute in the championship — in with the scores 0-0 and Australia in a dominant mood.
The best defence and perhaps the best goalkeeper of the championship Mark Schwarzer just could not spot and stop Lee. While the defence left him unmarked, Lee unleashed a brilliant volley, again perhaps the best goal of the championship. From a little-known substitute Tadanari Lee has become a household name back home.
A cross from Yuto Nagamoto from the left in the 109th minute found Lee having all the time to wait and deliver the killer punch. "The only thing that crossed my mind is smash the ball home," he said when asked what he felt when he got that ball.
"Somehow I felt I could go out and be a hero," he said after scoring his first goal for Japan and perhaps the biggest strike which gave his country a fourth Asian Cup success.
Citizenship
Lee was granted permission to become a Japanese citizen in 2007 but he did remember his fellow Koreans.
"I have grown up in the Japanese culture and I love both countries — Korea and Japan. I am very glad to score this goal for Japan," said Lee who is a fourth generation Korean-Japanese.
Surname
Despite giving up his South Korean nationality, he continues to use his Korean surname ‘Lee' on his jersey and sports the same when he turns up for Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the J-League where he has scored 11 goals which earned him a call-up by Zaccheroni.
Tadanari Lee is one of the three ‘Zainichi' — Japanese of Korean origin — who figured in the Asian Cup 2011. The others being striker Jong Tae-se and midfielder An Young-hak, who both played for North Korea.
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