South Korea’s national soccer team (23rd in FIFA rankings), led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, will face Jordan (87th in FIFA rankings) in the second Group E match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup to be held at Altumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, at 8:30 p.m. on the 20th (Korea time).
Korea is challenging the Asian championship for the first time in 64 years. Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Kim Min-jae (Munich), Lee Kang-in (PSG), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Lee Jae-sung (Mintz), Hwang In-beom (Zvezda), Cho Kyu-sung (Mitwhelan), Hong Hyun-suk (Hent), and Oh Hyun-kyu (Celtic) are all armed with the golden generation, drawing high expectations.월카지노
In the first match against Bahrain (No. 86 in FIFA ranking), the team achieved its intended goal of winning. However, the performance remained somewhat disappointing. Hwang In-beom’s cannonball-like first goal and Lee Kang-in’s valuable multi-goal allowed him to bring about the first game with many variables.
The spotlight was on Lee Kang-in. On the day, Lee shook Bahrain several times with his sharp movement penetrating from the side to the center. He took an opportunity in front of the arc and scored the first goal with a surprise shot. He caught the empty space with his outstanding off-the-ball movement, and then scored the second goal with his calm shot.
Major stat recorded by Lee Kang-in during the match against Bahrain include 76 ball touches, 91% pass success rate (45 attempts-41 attempts), 3 key passes, 50% cross success rate (6 attempts-3 attempts), 100% long ball success rate (3 attempts-3 attempts), 3 big chance making, 2 shots on goal, 67% dribbling success rate (12 attempts-8 attempts), 57% ground competition success rate (14 attempts-8 attempts).
Japan is also the first to be wary of Korea. Japan’s Japan Times said, “Lee Kang-in has reached a new level under coach Klinsmann. He was called “flower” and “joy,” and his performance in the match against Bahrain proved why Klinsmann was possessed.”
He added, “Japan is considered the favorite to win, but Korea also has the strongest squad for this Asian Cup. There are Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min, Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, and Wolverhampton forward Hwang Hee-chan. However, Lee Kang-in has the potential to surpass all of them, and Klinsmann won’t be surprised if so.”
South Korea is scheduled to finish its group stage against Malaysia in the third Group E match at 8:30 p.m. on the 25th at Al-Zanub Stadium in Al-Wakra, Qatar, after the Jordan match.