Airing Dec. 10 on SBS, the special will unveil both teams’ halftime huddles before play resumes―a pivotal look at the tactics that could swing the match.
This made-for-TV 5-on-5 mini-football showdown assembles icons from both countries for four 15-minute quarters. The buzz started even before premiere; after the first episode dropped, it exploded in popularity and cracked Netflix’s Top 4 in Korea, proving its breakout heat.
Team Korea fields Lee Young-pyo, Seol Ki-hyeon, Lee Dong-gook, Lee Keun-ho, Park Joo-ho, Koo Ja-cheol, and Kim Young-kwang. Japan counters with Honda Keisuke, Maezono Masakiyo, Jo Shoji, Nakazawa Yuji, Sato Hisato, Kakitani Yoichiro, and Minami Yuta―an all-star slate of classic Korea-Japan derby “killers.” Calling the action are Korean football icon Park Ji-sung and Japanese legend Nakata Hidetoshi.
In last week’s opener, Lee Keun-ho put Korea up 1-0. But despite repeated chances, the team couldn’t pad the lead, and players admitted they were gassed at halftime. Watching Japan’s scoreless first half, analyst Nakata said he wanted a word―and headed straight into the locker room.
Inside a tense Japanese locker room, Nakata didn’t mince words: “No one followed my instructions.” He flagged hesitation in front of goal―“Back in the day you’d shoot on sight”―then broke down player movement and Korea’s weak spots to reset the second-half plan. “Now it really starts,” Honda fired back, stoking a comeback mindset.
Can Nakata’s tweaks flip the script―and turn the second half into a stunner for Japan?
Across the hall, Park Ji-sung checked in on Korea’s weary squad. With a 1?0 lead but heavy legs, he asked, “Did you go over pace?” before helping steady the room and sharpen the counter to Japan’s impending push.
This week’s broadcast kicks off a breathless back half: Korea clings to a one-goal lead on tired legs, while Japan looks revitalized by Nakata’s course correction. It’s a gritty, body-on-the-line brawl that sends tension through the roof.
Find out how the two legends’ halftime blueprints play out when ‘Goalden Boys’ airs Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 10:20 p.m. KST on SBS.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)