China and Japan completed the men's football semifinal line-up at the 2026 Asian Games on Saturday, joining South Korea and Uzbekistan in the final four of the tournament in Japan.
At Toyota Stadium in Toyota, China defeated Thailand 3-0 in front of 7,587 spectators. The deadlock was broken just before half-time through a Sangtong own goal at 45+1 minutes, with Hu Hetao doubling the lead at the 47-minute mark and Zhang Yuning sealing the win at the 63rd minute. The match was officiated by Japanese referee Hiroki Kasahara.
Later the same day at the same venue, hosts Japan edged North Korea 1-0 to keep their campaign alive. Nwadike scored the decisive goal in the 39th minute, with 18,912 spectators in attendance. The match was refereed by Hanna Hattab of Syria.
The other two quarterfinals had been played on September 25 at the Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium in Nagoya. Uzbekistan cruised past Saudi Arabia 3-0, with goals from Murtazaev in the 12th minute, Tulkenbekov in the 79th and Abdurakhmonov in the 86th. South Korea, the three-time defending champions, thrashed Vietnam 4-0, with Lee Young-jun scoring twice in the 15th and 81st minutes and Kim Ji-soo and Kim Myung-jun adding goals in the 77th and 88th minutes respectively.
The semifinals are scheduled for September 30 at Nagai Stadium in Osaka: South Korea take on China at 15:00, followed by Uzbekistan against Japan at 19:30. The gold and bronze medal matches are both set for October 3 at Toyota Stadium.
The men's football competition features 15 teams and runs from September 15 to October 3 across four host cities: Osaka, Toyota, Nagoya and Kariya.
Sources: "Football at the 2026 Asian Games – Men's tournament" (Wikipedia, match data attributed to the OCA, correct as of 26 September 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_at_the_2026_Asian_Games_–_Men's_tournament); "Asian Games 2026 September 26 Live Updates: Check India Results and Medal Tally" (Jagran Josh, https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-...s-and-medal-winners-september-26-1820012530-1)
At Toyota Stadium in Toyota, China defeated Thailand 3-0 in front of 7,587 spectators. The deadlock was broken just before half-time through a Sangtong own goal at 45+1 minutes, with Hu Hetao doubling the lead at the 47-minute mark and Zhang Yuning sealing the win at the 63rd minute. The match was officiated by Japanese referee Hiroki Kasahara.
Later the same day at the same venue, hosts Japan edged North Korea 1-0 to keep their campaign alive. Nwadike scored the decisive goal in the 39th minute, with 18,912 spectators in attendance. The match was refereed by Hanna Hattab of Syria.
The other two quarterfinals had been played on September 25 at the Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium in Nagoya. Uzbekistan cruised past Saudi Arabia 3-0, with goals from Murtazaev in the 12th minute, Tulkenbekov in the 79th and Abdurakhmonov in the 86th. South Korea, the three-time defending champions, thrashed Vietnam 4-0, with Lee Young-jun scoring twice in the 15th and 81st minutes and Kim Ji-soo and Kim Myung-jun adding goals in the 77th and 88th minutes respectively.
The semifinals are scheduled for September 30 at Nagai Stadium in Osaka: South Korea take on China at 15:00, followed by Uzbekistan against Japan at 19:30. The gold and bronze medal matches are both set for October 3 at Toyota Stadium.
The men's football competition features 15 teams and runs from September 15 to October 3 across four host cities: Osaka, Toyota, Nagoya and Kariya.
Sources: "Football at the 2026 Asian Games – Men's tournament" (Wikipedia, match data attributed to the OCA, correct as of 26 September 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_at_the_2026_Asian_Games_–_Men's_tournament); "Asian Games 2026 September 26 Live Updates: Check India Results and Medal Tally" (Jagran Josh, https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-...s-and-medal-winners-september-26-1820012530-1)
