Iraq lost to South Korea before Asian Cup 2023

UAE Iraq, Vietnam's group opponent at the 2023 Asian Cup, lost 0-1 to South Korea in a friendly match on the evening of January 6.

* Goal scorer: Lee Jae-sung 40'

The two teams aim to test their strength one last time before entering the 2023 Asian Cup. Iraq has the opportunity to face a strong opponent of the same level as Japan, while South Korea prepares mentally before meeting two representatives of West Asia, Bahrain and Jordan, in the group stage. In the past, South Korea has never lost to Iraq.

The starting lineup reflected the two coaches' experimental intentions, with South Korea leaving all key players such as Kim Min-jae, Son Heung-min, and Lee Kang-in on the bench. Iraq also changed half of the starting lineup compared to the last match, when they won 1-0 against Vietnam.

Lee Jae-sung (No. 10) scored the only goal to help South Korea beat Iraq 1-0 in a friendly match on the evening of January 6. Photo: KFA — Lee Jae-sung (No. 10) scored the only goal to help South Korea beat Iraq 1-0 in a friendly match on the evening of January 6. Photo: *KFA*

At New York University in the UAE, Iraq had their first dangerous chance in the third minute. Ibrahim Bayesh broke the offside trap into the penalty area but his shot was blocked by goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu, who came out to close the angle. The South Korean player then cleared the ball off his teammate and it bounced back into goal, forcing Kim to dive as far as he could to push the ball over the crossbar.

The following minutes of the match were slow with few chances. In the 29th minute, Oh Hyun-gyu put the ball into the Iraqi net but the referee raised the offside flag. In the 40th minute, Korea coordinated well on the right wing for Lee Jae-sung to receive the ball close to the penalty area, then unleashed a long-range left-footed shot straight into the top right corner to open the score. Iraq immediately responded with a chance from Ali Jasim Elaibi, but the left-footed shot from inside the penalty area missed the center and went wide.

In the second half, Korea sent all the stars on the field including Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Kang-in, Son Heung-min and Cho Gue-sung. The game was tilted towards Korea but the opportunities were not taken advantage of or were missed by the referee. In the 65th minute, Son Heung-min dribbled the ball bravely past Saad Natiq. He fooled goalkeeper Jalal Hassan and was fouled but the referee did not award a penalty. In the 76th minute, Lee Kang-in took a good corner kick from the left wing but Cho Gue-sung headed it wide despite being unmarked.

With a 1-0 win, South Korea will train for nine more days before opening their campaign against Bahrain on January 15, followed by Jordan on January 20 and Malaysia on January 25. South Korea aims to win the tournament, ending its drought since 1960. Meanwhile, Iraq will face Indonesia on January 15, Japan on January 19 and Vietnam on January 24.

Starting lineup

Iraq: Jalal Hassan, Merchas Doski, Ali Adnan, Saad Natiq, Hussein Ali, Amir Al Ammari, Ibrahim Bayesh, Osama Rashid, Ali Jasim Elaibi, Mohanad Ali, Montader Madjed

Korea: Kim Seung-gyu, Seol Young-woo, Jung Seung-hyun, Kim Young-gwon, Park Yong-woo, Lee Ki Je, Hong Hyun-seok, Hwang In-beom, Jeong Woo-yeong, Lee Jae-sung, Oh Hyun-gyu.

Hieu Luong

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