Swansea winger Eom Ji-sung scored the winner as South Korea beat hosts Japan 1-0 to win the Asian Games men’s football gold medal on Saturday. It is South Korea’s fourth straight title at the Games, BBC Sport reports.
Eom Ji-sung settles the final in Toyota
The goal came in the 61st minute at Toyota Stadium, according to Yonhap. As a result, it was the only goal of the match. In addition, South Korea have now beaten Japan in three Asian Games finals in a row.
The tournament was staged in Aichi and Nagoya. The final was played in Toyota, about 30 kilometres east of Nagoya, as Yonhap notes.
Eom Ji-sung’s four goals and three assists
BBC Sport says Eom finished with four goals and three assists. For example, he scored a hat-trick in the opening game against Qatar. Eom Ji-sung ended as joint top scorer, level with Uzbekistan’s Sardorbek Bakhromov.
The 24-year-old started the Championship season strongly for Swansea. BBC Sport describes the club as league leaders before the international break. He also played for South Korea at the World Cup this summer, and he was one of three over-age players in the Asian Games squad.
What the gold medal means for his career
Asian Games champions in South Korea earn an exemption from mandatory military service. Normally, able-bodied men serve between 18 and 21 months before they turn 28. According to BBC Sport, the exemption still leaves basic training of less than a month.
Therefore, it removes a long absence from the club game for a 24-year-old. For Swansea, that could mean fewer worries about losing him for a long spell later on, though neither report says so.
Swansea next up for Eom Ji-sung
Meanwhile, Swansea return to Championship action on Saturday 10 October. They host Norwich City in an early kick-off, per BBC Sport. However, whether Eom Ji-sung is available after the tournament has not been confirmed in either report.
We will update this piece when Swansea confirm his return. For more, see our Football News section.
Sources: BBC Sport and Yonhap News Agency, both 3 October 2026. Photo: Eom Ji-sung playing for Gwangju FC in the K League, 9 May 2023, by the file’s Commons uploader, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. Archive picture, not from the Asian Games final.
Should Swansea see Eom's military exemption as a boost to his long-term future?
1 comment
Eom’s exemption means no army service in his late twenties. Does that make him a better long-term bet for Swansea?