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South Korea's hopes hit by goalkeeper injury

South Korea's hopes of retaining their football gold at the Asian Games have been dented, following an injury to goalkeeper Jo Hyeon Woo.

The 25-year-old, who rose to prominence at the World Cup, has not trained since injuring his left knee in last Thursday's 2-0 win over Iran in the Round of 16.

He looks set to miss today's quarter-final against Uzbekistan, who defeated Hong Kong 3-0 to reach the last eight and have yet to concede a goal at this Asiad.

The Korea Football Association said a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan on Jo's left knee revealed that he has a swollen meniscus, reported Yonhap news agency.

Second-choice goalkeeper Song Bum Keun replaced Jo in the 59th minute of the Iran match and looks set to start today. Song played in their 2-1 loss to Malaysia in their final group match, when Jo was rested.

Winning the gold has added significance for the South Korea team, wh o are led by Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung Min, as that would earn them an exemption from compulsory military service.

TODAY'S OTHER Q-FINALS:

  • S. Arabia v Japan
  • Syria v Vietnam
  • UAE v N. Korea
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