The goal is to win.
Korea (ranked 27th in FIFA rankings) along with Malaysia (ranked 138th), Jordan (ranked 84th), and Bahrain (ranked 85th) as a result of the group draw for the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup held at the Opera House in Doha, Qatar on the 11th. Tied in Group E.
It’s not a bad grouping. South Korea is included in Pot 1 according to the FIFA rankings, but it does not meet Asian traditional powerhouses such as Japan, Iran, Australia, Saudi Arabia, as well as host country Qatar, in the group stage. Coach Jürgen Klinsmann also expressed his satisfaction with the grouping, saying, “It is a good grouping for us.”토스카지노
Korea is ahead in terms of objective strength. Against Bahrain, the first opponent of the tournament, Korea has the upper hand with 11 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss. The most recent encounter was in the round of 16 of the 2019 UAE tournament, and at that time, they won 2-1 after a bloody battle that went to overtime.
Jordan is a team that Korea has never lost. Relative record 3 wins 2 draws. However, since both countries are ambush in West Asia, it is not easy to see them.
Malaysia has the lowest FIFA ranking among the three teams Korea meets. Malaysia will participate in the tournament for the first time in 16 years since the 2007 Asian Cup held there.
It is an eye-catching opponent. Currently, Malaysia is led by Kim Pan-gon, former vice president of the Korea Football Association. Although he is not strong, he must not be vigilant as he knows Korea well. In addition, coach Kim has been producing results since taking office as the command tower. Last January, he showed off his potential by reaching the semifinals at the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Mitsubishi Electric Cup.
offer | Korea Football Association
After forming the group, coach Kim said, “Korea is one of the strongest teams, but we will do our best to compete to add pride to Malaysia.”
The Korean men’s soccer team, led by coach Klinsman, is challenging the Asian top for the first time in 63 years. Since Korea won the tournament in 1960, it has never been able to stand on top of Asia.
It reached the final four times in 1972, 1980, 1988, and 2015, but was frustrated at the threshold of winning. In the last 2019 tournament, it was eliminated early in the quarterfinals.
This time is the ‘right time’ to aim for the championship. With captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham) at the center, Kim Min-jae (Napoli), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Na Sang-ho (FC Seoul) and Lee Ga-in (Mallorca). A synergistic effect can be expected.
Coach Klinsman said, “All Asian teams have good records, so there is no easy group. We have to study how strong the opposing team is,” he said. “The goal is to go through the group stage and go to the end of the tournament.”
The Asian Cup divided 24 teams into 4 groups. After the group stage, the 12 teams in the top 1, 2 and 4 teams in the 3rd place advance to the tournament. If Korea advances to the round of 16 with 1st place in Group E, it will compete with 2nd place in Group D (Japan, Iraq, Indonesia and Vietnam) for a ticket to the quarterfinals.