“South Korea drew 2-2 with Jordan in the second Group E match of the Asian Cup on the 20th,” Japanese soccer media Football Zone said on the 22nd. “If we had won, we could have advanced to the round of 16 with a first win in the group,” he said. “The Korean media is giving a stinging look to striker Cho Kyu-sung, who missed a decisive opportunity in extra time in the first half of the match against Jordan.”
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Jurgen Klinsman, drew 2-2 against Jordan after a poor match in the second Group E match of the 2023 AFC Qatar Asian Cup against Jordan at Altumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 20th.
Korea, ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings, was in Group E along with Jordan (87th), Bahrain (86th), and Malaysia (130th). Team Clinsman already got off to a flying start with a 3-1 victory in the first group match against Bahrain on Saturday.
South Korea was also expected to win the second group match against Jordan. With two consecutive wins, it was expected that they could easily confirm their first place in the group and advance to the round of 16 and prepare for the final Group E match against Malaysia on the 25th. 토토사이트 추천
Korea’s start against Jordan was not bad. In the ninth minute of the first half, captain Son Heung-min calmly succeeded in scoring the penalty kick he had won, leading the game 1-0.
However, Korea struggled against Jordan’s fierce counterattack after taking the lead. Park Yong-woo scored an own goal in the 37th minute of the first half to allow the score to be tied 1-1. In the extra time of the first half, the team even gave up an upset goal, facing an unexpected trend as the team was dragged down 1-2.
Just before the end of the first half, Cho Kyu-sung had a decisive chance to score. Jordan’s goalkeeper Aburaila managed to hit Lee Ki-je’s powerful left-footed mid-range shot, but the second ball fell in front of Cho Kyu-sung.
However, Cho failed to take advantage of the opportunity. His right foot volley shot went wide of the goal. He failed to hit the ball accurately with his feet, resulting in a tie and losing his chance to end the first half.
Cho also left regret in the second half. He made good penetration into Jordan’s box at a counterattack in the 20th minute of the second half, but lost balance and fell, destroying the impact of Korea’s offense.
In the end, Klinsman replaced Cho with Oh Hyun-gyu. Cho did not show much performance following the match against Bahrain.
South Korea failed to participate in the Asian Cup as veteran striker Hwang Ui-jo was questioned by police on charges of illegal filming. Cho Kyu-sung was selected as the main one-top early on.
Cho was the star of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Cho was expected to play the role of backup striker Hwang Ui-jo, but emerged as the starting player during the tournament. Notably, he rose to stardom by scoring two goals with a header in the second Group H match against Ghana.
Cho Kyu-sung later solidified his position as the main one-top of the national soccer team by starting in the final Group H match against Portugal and the round of 16 against Brazil. Even after the head coach changed from Paulo Bento to Jurgen Klinsmann, he maintained his position as a front-line striker in Korean soccer.
Soccer fans had high expectations for Cho. When he moved to FC Mitwilan in the Danish Super League last year, instead of the European Big League, his former team Jeonbuk Hyundai and Jeonbuk Hyundai Technical Director Park Ji-sung were under strong criticism. He did so because they sent the best striker to the European leagues.
However, Korean soccer fans have not been as enthusiastic about Cho lately. His poor performance at the Asian Cup was a major contributor. Criticism is mounting against Cho for his lack of progress after his strong performance at the World Cup in Qatar.
“Cho Kyu-sung performed well in the 2022 Qatar World Cup and moved to FC Mitwilan in the Danish first division in July last year,” “Football Zone” said. “He was also noted for his good looks, but he did not leave a significant impact in the Asian Cup as he contrasted with the World Cup.”
Another Japanese media outlet, Soccer Digest Webb, also said, “Cho garnered attention by scoring two goals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Her slim height and sweet mask gained overwhelming support and popularity from female fans,” adding, “She moved to FC Mitwilan in Denmark last summer and took the long-awaited European stage. The 25-year-old striker scored a goal quickly for Denmark and had high expectations for a good performance at the Asian Cup.”
“While Korean national team striker Hwang Ui-jo was absent from the Qatar Asian Cup due to personal reasons, Korean coach Jurgen Klinsmann placed Cho Kyu-sung at the front line along with Son Heung-min as the main player, but Cho Kyu-sung has been sluggish since he scored no goals. The ball did not fit underneath his feet, was not involved in the pass process, and missed the opportunity to score at a decisive moment,” he said.
In order for Cho Kyu-sung to reverse the criticism directed at him, the only way to prove it with his skills on the ground. For now, it is urgent to restore confidence by scoring an attack point in the final match against Malaysia on the 25th.
Due to the draw with Jordan, Korea will not be able to secure No. 1 ranking in its group on its own. Korea is currently ranking second in Group E (1 win, 1 draw and 4 points, goal difference +2). Jordan is leading the group (1 win, 1 draw and 4 points, goal difference +4) ahead of Korea’s goal difference, and is ㅆ.
In the case of an AFC-hosted competition, when multiple teams with the same points are ranked in the group league, the winner’s win principle is applied, in which a team is determined based on points earned between the teams. This is different from the FIFA World Cup, in which goal difference is determined first when teams have the same points.
Korea is now facing a situation where it cannot afford to take a break in the match against Malaysia. The plan to allow key players such as Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae to take rest by operating a rotation system will inevitably suffer a setback.