Dubai: South Korea coach Lee Kwong-iong admitted Iraq were the better side despite his team winning 4-1 on penalties in the AFC Under-19 Championship final at Emirates Club in Ras Al Khaimah on Saturday.
Moon Chang-jin struck deep into stoppage-time to send the match into extra time just as player of the tournament Mohanad Abdul Rahim’s first-half opener looked to have denied the Koreans their 12th title.
Sim Sang-min, Woo Ju-sung, Kim Sun-woo and Ryu Seung-woo all converted from the spot, while only Ahmad Abbas could find the target for Iraq.
Lee said: “Iraq were brilliant with their individual as well as collective display and I must concede that we were very lucky when we scored deep into stoppage time.
“In general we can say that the Iraq team was better. We had three players coming back from suspension and were not in a good condition, but we still managed to get the result.
“Congratulations to the Iraqis who, despite having difficult circumstances back home, played their football well. But I believe that those difficulties made them stronger mentally. We are also a mentally strong side but I would not have been surprised had Iraq won the championship after this performance in the final.”
Iraq coach Hakim Shakir said: “There are no words to express our disappointment. Conceding an equaliser with the last kick of the match in the final of a prestigious tournament is very hard to take, but this is the nature of football.
“It was very tough for us to recover from that setback in extra time and during the penalty shootout. I was expecting more from the boys but it never came. We were a bit lethargic — I guess the pressure of the final also took its toll.”
Iraq’s Rahim dedicated his player of the tournament award to his teammates. He said: “I was not looking for an individual award as my target was to win the trophy for my teammates, coaching staff and Iraqi people. I dedicate this award to my teammates, who fought bravely and were instrumental in my achievement.”
Igor Sergeev, of losing semi-finalists Uzbekistan, won the top scorer’s award with seven goals.
South Korea made the final by finishing second to Iraq on goal difference in Group B after recording a 0-0 draw against Iraq and beating Thailand 2-1 and China 1-0. Iraq beat China 2-1 and Thailand 3-0.
South Korea then beat Iran 4-1 in the quarter-finals and Uzbekistan 3-1 in the semis, while Iraq overturned Japan 2-1 and Australia 2-0.
Hosts UAE, meanwhile, failed to progress beyond Group A, finishing third after three straight draws — 1-1 against Kuwait, 1-1 against Iran and 0-0 against Japan.
