South Korea defeats China in 2022 Asian Games

South Korea defeated China in the semifinals of the 2022 Asian Games and is one match away from the gold medal.

South Korea secured its spot in the 2022 Asian Games finals with a dominating victory over China. This semifinal match, which many considered to be the real final, ended after two games.

South Korea now advances to the finals, where it will face the winner between Chinese Taipei and Vietnam. South Korea already faced both of these squads in the pre-evaluation cycle and defeated them both.

In game one, JD Gaming’s bot laner Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk made all the difference as Kai’Sa. Ruler took every opportunity to shorten the distance and get behind enemy lines. Ruler’s aggressive approach to the match took China by surprise.

In game two, T1’s top laner Choi “Zeus” Woo-je on Jax had one of the best performances of the year. Zeus was the difference maker in every team fight, creating space for the rest of his team.

The gold medal is almost guaranteed for the South Korean squad, as well as the controversial military exemption.

Faker benched in 2022 Asian Games semifinals

For the series against China, the South Korean coaching staff opted to start Gen.G’s Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon in the mid lane. As a result, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok stayed on the bench for both games in the series.

It doesn’t come as a surprise. Chovy seems to be the number one mid lane, with Faker acting as the backup. There could be multiple reasons for this decision.

One important factor to keep in mind is that Faker recently recovered from a wrist injury. This injury kept him away from the Summoner’s Rift for several weeks. During this time, T1 had the worst losing streak in the team’s recent history.

The 2022 Asian Games are just a prelude to the 2023 World Championship. It makes sense for the national team to keep Faker’s health as a priority ahead of Worlds.