(Osaka = Yonhap News) Reporter Choi Song-ah = Winger Uhm Seong (Swansea City), who joined the under-23 (U-23) national team as a wild card (player over 24) aiming for the men's soccer gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, unexpectedly wore the captain's armband and shone as a 'special helper' amid greater responsibility.
Uhm Ji-seong assisted on both of Korea's goals in the Asian Games semifinal against China held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan on the 30th, leading Korea to a 2-1 comeback victory.
In the 33rd minute of the first half, when Korea was dragged after giving up an unexpected first goal in the 22nd minute of the first half, Uhm Seong delivered a sharp corner kick to the head of Lee Young-jun (Grashofer) to help score the equalizer.
Then, in the 37th minute of the second half, when the possibility of overtime was growing, Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) finished the cross with a header after Uhm Uhm-seong evaded the defense from the left side, scoring the winning goal of a comeback.
Uhm Ji-seong wore the captain's armband on this day as the existing captain Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon) was unable to play due to inflammation in his foot, and played the full game, laying the foundation for a comeback victory.
He led Korea's easy first step by scoring a hat trick against Qatar in the first game of the group stage on the 15th, and contributed greatly to helping the national team advance to the finals by recording four assists in this tournament.
Uhm Ji-seong, who met with reporters after the game, said, "The pressure was greater than I thought. It's been a long time since I was the captain, and with two other wild card players (Lee Ki-hyuk and Yang Hyun-jun) leaving due to injury, the weight on me was even heavier, but fortunately, I was able to relieve it a bit."
Regarding the two assists, he said, "I'm glad that I got a good result because I played the best I could. I created a situation like that during the World Cup, so I thought it was my advantage and tried to make the most of it. I'm grateful that the players handled it well."
Uhm Ji-seong continued, "I was very worried when we were down 0-1. The opponent prepared well in the first half and we had a lot of trouble. Fortunately, in the second half, the opponent was a little tired and we created opportunities to save the team, so we got a good result. After the game, my whole body relaxed and I breathed a sigh of relief."
After the game that day, coach Lee Min-seong said that the wild card players were โsacrificingโ for the team and that he was satisfied with the players, including Um Ji-seong.
Umjiseong emphasized, โJust because weโre a wild card doesnโt mean weโre different, weโre all members of the same team. Everyoneโs goal is the same, so thereโs nothing different about being a wild card,โ and emphasized, โIโll do the best I can.โ
Lee Min-seong, who overcame a critical juncture with Uhm Um-seong's 'Golden Cross', is now just one game away from reaching his fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal.
Umjiseong said, "I feel pressure because I have won three times in a row, but since this was the stage that all players wanted, I think I know how to play and what mindset I should have. First of all, recovering is the most important thing," and pledged to do well in the finals (October 3).
