“Aren’t you satisfied with the draw? You can now avoid Japan in the round of 16.”
South Korea’s national soccer team, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, drew 2-2 in the second Group E match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup against Jordan at Altumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 20th (Korea time).
As a result, Korea ranked second in the group with four points (one win, one draw, and gains and losses +2). Just like Korea, Jordan maintained the top spot with four points ( gains and losses +4). The winner of Group E will be decided in the last three games. Korea will meet Malaysia and Jordan will meet Bahrain.
It was a difficult draw. Korea gained the upper hand by scoring the first goal of Son’s penalty kick in the ninth minute of the first half, but gave up the flow afterwards. Then, Park Yong-woo’s own header in the 38th minute of the first half allowed a tie. On top of that, the team even gave up a come-from-behind goal to Yazan Al-Naimat with the end of the first half just around the corner.
After half-time, South Korea tried to adjust its battle lines and score an equalizer, but it rarely came to fruition. However, as a result of the attack without giving up until the end, Hwang In-beom’s shot in the extra time of the second half led to the opponent’s own goal, resulting in a draw. 헤라카지노
His performance was not as good as that of a potential winner. Korea lacked precision in offense and struggled despite being swayed in side defense. Jordan scored four goals in the first round, but it was an unexpected poor performance. It was a positive thing to see that the team ended up tying the game by rushing in the second half.
Naturally, the mood of Korean reporters was not very good either. He expressed relief that he did not lose, but expressed regret over the appearance of Klinsmann.
However, foreign media viewed it differently. “Aren’t you satisfied with the draw? You are now able to avoid Japan in the round of 16,” said Ali Ismael of 365 Scores Egypt, who met in the mixed zone. “Where was Son Heung-min?” he even joked.
If Korea secured the top spot in the group on the day, chances were high that it would meet Japan in the round of 16. However, there were cases where Korea advanced to second place in the group as it tied with Jordan. Although Japan is on shaky ground after losing to Iraq, the Korea-Japan match will inevitably be burdensome. For Korea, too, a quick clash with Japan is not welcome.
Ali pointed this out. “Korea showed a really good performance in the match against Bahrain. It was very different today, however. No luck. Korea didn’t seem to want to win today. Was it intentional?” he said, suspecting that it was a strategy to rank No. 2 in the group.
Bohn and Ali were acquainted. They had conversations while covering the last UAE-Palestine match. “I loved Asian soccer so much that I came to watch the Asian Cup, not the African Cup of Nations,” he said, praising Korea as the No. 1 candidate.
Ali did not change his mind even after watching the match against Jordan. “If Korea meets Japan in the round of 16, it will be able to win. Korea did very well in the first round. On the other hand, Japan struggled not only against Iraq but also against Vietnam. Korea is still a favorite to win the title,” he said.