“Without superstars like Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, Korea is similar to China.”
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, suffered a shocking defeat to Jordan, ending their quest for an Asian Cup victory after 64 years.
On the 7th (local time), South Korea was defeated 0-2 by Jordan in the semifinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup held at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
Despite their dramatic victories in the round of 16 against Saudi Arabia and the quarterfinals against Australia, the team was unable to overcome their physical disadvantages and the absence of key defender Kim Min-jae.
From the start, South Korea was dragged out, losing the initiative from the beginning. While Jordan put intense pressure on South Korea from the early stages, creating several threatening situations, South Korean players often made passing mistakes.
Jordan fired 12 shots in the first half alone, all of which were blocked by goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo. Despite Cho’s efforts, South Korea conceded two goals in the 8th and 21st minutes of the second half. In particular, it was disappointing that not a single effective shot was recorded.
After the match, Son Heung-min apologized in an interview, saying, “I’m so sorry. We did our best, but we made mistakes and We’re sorry that the game ended like this because of our mistake.”
He added, “I’m sorry we couldn’t show you better performance despite your incredible support. As a soccer player, I will strive to show a more developed version of myself and the national team.”
Chinese media could not hide their delight at the news of South Korea’s defeat.
Chinese media outlet Sohu.com criticized, “Although South Korean national team has many superstars such as Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, they were unable to perform to their full potential due to Klinsmann’s stubbornness.”
Pei Li, a reporter from Chinese media outlet 163, mocked, “If Klinsmann-led Korea didn’t have superstars, they would have had a similar performance to China. If a head coach takes a break for too long, his ability tends to decline.”
China was eliminated from the 2023 AFC Asian Cup group league last month (local time) with a humiliating record of zero goals and zero wins.
Meanwhile, Jordan has advanced to the Asian Cup final for the first time in its history and will play the final against the winner of the Iran-Qatar match on the 11th.
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