Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Wednesday, December 11, 2024 82° Today's Paper


Top News

Korean and Japanese teams to meet in Hawaii soccer final

Sangwook Jeon stopped the final four opposing penalty kicks as Busan I’Park beat Melbourne Heart 1-0 in the first game of the Hawaiian Islands Invitational soccer tournament Thursday.

About 3,500 at Aloha Stadium saw Hiroaki Namba score two goals as Yokohama beat the Colorado Rapids 2-1 in the second game, setting up a Korea-Japan championship final at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Drew Moor scored for Colorado.

Colorado and Melbourne of Australia play for third place at 5 p.m.

Busan I’Park of Korea got its win with four successful penalty kicks to three by Melbourne.

Jihun Yu hit the winner for Busan I’Park, which earned a spot in Saturday’s championship match.

Regulation ended in a 0-0 tie, forcing the penalty-kick tiebreaker.

In the second match, Namba scored his first goal off a free kick in the 56th minute. Namba headed in Toyoma Uchida’s kick from about 25 yards out to break the scoreless tie.

Namba added what would the deciding goal seven minutes later off a cross from Takahiro Nakazato.

Colorado made things interesting when Drew Moor headed in a corner kick from Luis Zapata in the 72nd minute. The Major League Soccer team had several late chances but couldn’t convert.

 

 

Comments are closed.