The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, will play the first Group E match against Bahrain at 8:30 p.m. on January 15 next year at Jasim bin Hamad Stadium. At the same time on January 20, they will play Jordan in the second round at Altumama Stadium and face Malaysia led by head coach Kim Pan-gon at Alzanup Stadium five days later.
The Asian Cup will feature 24 countries and compete in six groups. Twelve teams in the first and second places in each group and the top four teams in the third place in the group will win tickets to the round of 16. If South Korea, which belongs to Group E, takes the first place, it will clash with the second place in Group D in the round of 16. One of Japan, Indonesia, Iraq, and Vietnam will be against each other in the round of 16. 스포츠토토
Since Qatar hosted the World Cup last year, there are many stadiums familiar to domestic fans. In particular, the venue for the opening and final matches is the Lucille Stadium, where Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) made history as a member of the Argentine national team. The 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup final between Argentina and France was held here. It is the place where Messi’s first World Cup victory took place.
South Korea, which claims to be the “Tiger of Asia,” will try to win the tournament for the first time in 63 years. South Korea, which won the first tournament in 1956 and the second tournament in its own country in 1960, has not held the Asian Cup trophy so far. Every time I slipped at the top threshold. South Korea finished second at the 2015 Australian Games and was eliminated in the quarterfinals at the 2019 Qatar Games.
The will to win is stronger than ever. Klinsmann, the head of the national team, has been shouting “winning the Asian Cup” since he took the helm in March. Since Klinsmann took office, it is the closest major tournament and has not been related to Korea, so the players are also burning their will.
Attention is focusing on whether “captain” Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who has been far from a trophy throughout his career, will be able to achieve the Asian Cup title. Son Heung-min has had a brilliant personal career, but he has not won the national team or his team. Considering his age, this is likely to be the last Asian Cup in his career. It could actually be the last chance to win.
The atmosphere of the squad is good. During this summer’s transfer market, Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) moved to a big European club, raising stock prices. In addition, the number of European players in the national team has increased significantly. While Son Heung-min maintained his good skills, the quality of the team has also improved. It will be important how well Klinsmann leads the team for the rest of the year.