Klinsmann, who confidently shouted that he would be at the top of Asia in 64 years, ended his journey as he was eliminated from the semifinals, the last gateway to the final. Klinsmann, who had been on the cutting board with less-than-expected performance since the group stage, advanced to the semifinals by defeating Saudi Arabia and Australia in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, respectively, but met Jordan in the semifinals and knelt.꽁머니지급
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany), was defeated 0-2 in the semifinals of the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup against Jordan at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Alayyan, Qatar, on the 7th (Korea time).
Initially, Klinsmann was considered a strong “candidate” in this tournament. This is because he boasted an “all-time squad,” with many outstanding players playing in big leaguers such as Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers). In particular, expectations were even higher as they performed brilliantly in their respective teams this season.
However, after entering the tournament, Klinsmann lost face due to disappointing performance and poor performance. In fact, the team got off to a good start by overpowering Bahrain 3-1 in the first group match. In the second match, however, the team had the lead with the first goal but lost a point, forcing it to the brink of defeat, before narrowly securing a 2-2 draw with an own goal.
As time went by, Klinsmann’s performance got worse and worse. In the final group match, the team had a 3-3 draw with Malaysia, which is considered the weakest team in this tournament. Naturally, the team gradually moved away from the favorite candidate. At the end of the group match, Klinsmann’s chance of winning the title fell to about 9 percent. Still, Klinsmann expressed confidence that he could win the title.
Klinsmann advanced to the semifinals by winning the match against Saudi Arabia in the round of 16 and Australia in the round of 8, respectively, after a close game of penalty shootout and extra time. Since then, the team has upped the mood, and experts predict that Klinsmann will defeat Jordan and advance to the final.
Of course, Klinsmann is expected to face difficulties ahead of the match against Jordan, as he has displayed strong physical burden due to his 120-minute overtime efforts for two consecutive games, and core center back Kim Min-jae is absent due to accumulated warnings. “We have the goal we want. We are hungry and thirsty,” Klinsmann said. “We will advance to the final as we have come this far. And we will achieve the goal we want.”
However, the Klinsmann ended his journey to the top of Asia with a loss to Jordan in the semifinals. On the day, the Klinsmann was unilaterally pushed back by Jordan’s offensive at the same time as kickoff, and failed to create a proper opportunity to attack. Eventually, he lost a point and was dragged to the ground, but failed to overturn the game and knelt down.
The defeated Klinsmann lowered his head as he failed to advance to the final. At the same time, his plan to become the top Asian player in 64 years ended in pieces. Klinsmann was considered a strong candidate along with Japan and Iran, but failed to advance to the final, resulting in cheaper luggage.