Nagoya: The Qatar under-23 national team began its campaign in the football competition at the 2026 Asian Games, held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with a 4-1 defeat against its South Korean counterpart in the match that took place today at Mizuho Park Stadium. Marwan Sharif scored for the Qatari team in the 85th minute, while the South Korean team’s goals were scored by Yeom Ki-sung with a hat-trick in the 7th, 20th, and 45+1st minutes, and Kim Myung-jong in the 66th minute.
The football competition features 15 teams divided into four groups, each consisting of four teams, except for the fourth group, which comprises three teams, including Qatar alongside South Korea and Saudi Arabia. The group stage matches are held in a single round-robin format, with the first and second teams of each group advancing directly to the quarterfinals. The tournament then continues in a direct knockout format leading up to the final and the third-place match.
The South Korean national team opened the scoring early following an advance and a shot from midfielder Yoo Myung-sang, which found the net in the 7th minute. The same player then extended his country's lead with a second goal in the same manner in the 20th minute. Before the end of the first half, he added a third goal following a breakthrough amid a lack of defensive coverage, placing the ball past the goalkeeper in the 45+1st minute.
In the second half, the South Korean team continued its dominance by scoring a fourth goal, following a run by Kim Myung-jung, who sent a low shot into the goal in the 66th minute.
The Qatari national team managed to reduce the deficit through Marwan Sharif, who seized the ball from the heart of the Korean defense and struck it into the net in the 85th minute.
