S. Korea clinch 8th straight Olympic football berth

DOHA, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea clinched a record eighth straight Olympic men's football berth on Tuesday with a 3-1 victory over Qatar at the Asian qualification tournament.

Midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon broke the 1-1 tie in the 89th minute at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha to lift South Korea to the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship and give the country one of three Asian berths at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Moon Chang-jin put the icing on the cake to make it 3-1 moments before the final whistle.

This championship doubles as the Asian qualification event for the Olympics. Only the top three countries from here will compete in Brazil, and South Korea will now finish no worse than second.

They will take on Japan in Saturday's final, also in Doha. Qatar have been relegated to the third-place match against Iraq for their one last chance at qualifying for the Olympics.

No other country has competed in eight straight Olympic men's football tournaments. Italy qualified for seven Olympics in a row on two separate occasions, most recently from 1984 to 2008.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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