Korean newspaper bitter after national team's humiliating defeat to Jordan
Báo Thanh niên•07/02/2024
Korean newspapers were disappointed to see the national team lose 0-2 to Jordan in the semi-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup on the evening of February 6.
Yazan Al-Naimat and Mousa Al-Tamari were the goalscorers for Jordan in the match at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan. Immediately after the match, Yonhap news agency was disappointed that the South Korean team missed the chance to end their 64-year Asian championship drought: "The last time South Korea won the Asian championship was in 1960. This is the last big chance for the team to end that drought since losing to Australia in the 2015 final but failed."
The disappointment of Korean players
AFP
"South Korea, ranked 23rd in the world, were held to a 2-2 draw by 87th-ranked Jordan in their Group E match on January 20. Jordan should have won that match before a late own goal in the dying minutes. They finished the job this time as South Korea, who had played more than 240 minutes in their last two games, ran out of steam. It was South Korea's first loss to Jordan in seven meetings, following three wins and three draws," wrote the Chosun Ilbo , a bitter headline. "Klinsmann's Qatar disaster: lost to Jordan without a shot on target." "Jordan's defense played very resiliently, stopping South Korea's attacks time and time again... There was no third miracle. The South Korean national team lost 0-2 to Jordan in the semi-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup. South Korea was exhausted after scoring consecutive equalizers in the second half and had to go into extra time in the round of 16 and quarter-finals," wrote the Chosun Ilbo . The newspaper even described the defeat of the South Korean team as a "disaster" when coach Jurgen Klinsmann's team did not have a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes: "In the match, South Korea had a superior possession rate of 69.6% compared to 30.4%, but the number of shots was completely inferior (8-17). The shots on target were 0. Only 9 shots were allowed inside the penalty area. This means that there was no efficiency when holding the ball. South Korea conceded in all 6 matches at this tournament after not conceding in their previous 7 matches. South Korea were also behind in 5 of 6 matches in Qatar and had never been behind by more than 1 goal until the match against Jordan".
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann (left) comforts Son Heung-min after the semi-final match
AFP
Several other Korean newspapers described the disappointment for star Son Heung-min when he could not help his team win the Asian championship. When the final whistle blew, captain Son Heung-min's legs could not drag him off the field, while coach Jurgen Klinsmann and other players came to comfort him, hugging him tightly, but Son Heung-min refused to walk. It was about 10 minutes later that he left the field to go to the TV station for an interview. With tears in both eyes, Son Heung-min said: "I don't know what to say. "I'm sorry". Meanwhile, Jordan continued to write history when they reached the Asian Cup final for the first time. In the final, they will meet the winner of the remaining semi-final between hosts Qatar and Iran.
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