Tokyo Olympics 2020: Olyroos down to final qualifying opportunity after loss to South Korea

The Olyroos face a do-or-die showdown with Uzbekistan to see if they qualify for the Tokyo Olympics after rarely threatening South Korea in a surprisingly timid semi-final display at the AFC U23 Championship.

Kang Yoon-seong of South Korea, left, fights for the ball with Trent Buhagiar of Australia during the AFC U-23 Championship 2020 semi-final round at the Thammasat University stadium in Pathumthani province, Thailand, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Thanachote Thanawikran)

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Australia were outplayed by South Korea in a 2-0 loss in the AFC U23 Championship semi-final and will have to beat Uzbekistan to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Kim Dae-Won and Lee Dong-gyeong’s goals were enough to see off a below par Olyroos, who rarely threatened South Korea with barely a handful of shots on target.

The Aussies knew breaking through the South Korean lines was always going to be tough, and it took them just over 20 minutes to register a shot.

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Kim Dong-hyeon proved a problem for the Olyroos all night.

A collective sigh of relief came when the daunting figure of Oh Se-Hun swivelled and released a venomous strike that crashed against the post early in the match.

Gabriel Cleur had a rough night keeping up with Dae-Won but Korea surprisingly spurning a number of chances.

Australia were lucky to enter the half-time break level at 0-0 when Dae-Won’s curling effort had Tom Glover grasping thin air.

Se-Hun hit the woodwork for the second time in the match following the restart.

It felt like it was only a matter of time before South Korea broke through, and they did just before the hour mark.

Dae-Won was threatening all night for Korea and he finally got his goal, scoring on the follow up from a Lee You-Hyeon effort that hit the post in the 56th minute.

Aiden O'Neill finds life tough against the impressive South Koreans.

Dong-gyeong capitalised on Dylan Ryan’s advanced positioning, cutting in a cracking a shot onto the inside of the post and in for South Korea’s second with 15 minutes remaining.

The Olyroos must defeat Uzbekistan in the third place playoff match to qualify for the Olympic Games on Saturday night at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok (11:30pm EDT).

Originally published as Tokyo Olympics 2020: Olyroos down to final qualifying opportunity after loss to South Korea