Eom Ji-sung scored the only goal of the Asian Games final as South Korea beat Japan 1-0 to win gold for the fourth tournament in a row.
The Swansea City winger struck in the second half, against the run of play, to settle a final the hosts had largely controlled. It was his fourth goal of the competition.
It caps a tournament to remember for the 24-year-old, who opened it with a first-half hat-trick against Qatar.
He then set up both goals in the semi-final win over China in Osaka, sending the holders through to meet their old rivals.
Against the run of play
Japan had the better of a goalless first half, carving through the South Korean defence with pace in front of a packed home crowd.
Their side was built largely around under-21 players who won the Under-23 Asian Cup earlier this year, and they kept pressing after the break without making their chances count.
South Korea’s more experienced players made them pay. Tottenham Hotspur winger Yang Min-hyeok worked space for a cross that Japan failed to clear, and the ball dropped to Eom.
The Swansea man turned in the crowded box and finished emphatically.
Japan pushed for an equaliser and hit the post with a curling shot from distance, but South Korea saw out a late barrage of crosses to hold on.
Four in a row, and no military service
It was the third straight Asian Games final between the two countries, and South Korea have won all three, after beating Japan in 2018 and 2022.
The gold carries more than a medal. South Korean men must complete military service, and an Asian Games gold earns an exemption, lifting a question that hangs over every young Korean footballer’s career.
Eom played as one of the permitted over-age players in the Under-23 squad, having already been capped at senior level.
Back for Norwich
The tournament kept him out of Swansea’s 3-1 win over Burnley in September.
Before joining up he had scored twice and set up two more in the Swans’ first six Championship games, including the opener in the win over Watford that took them top.
He now heads back to south Wales, with Swansea at home to Norwich City on Saturday 10 October when the Championship resumes.
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Eom’s two assists in the semi-final.
SWANS: Eom hits hat-trick for South Korea as Swansea winger shines at the Asian Games
The treble that opened his tournament.
SWANS: Clinical Swansea sweep aside sorry Burnley to climb back into the top two
The win Eom missed for the Asian Games.
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