The national soccer team, led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, beat Bahrain 3-1 in the first Group E match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup at 8:30 p.m. on the 15th (Korea Standard Time) at Jasim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
It was not an easy game. He struggled until Hwang In-beom’s first goal in the 38th minute of the first half. Bahrain’s dense defense was stronger than expected. There were variables as well. Chinese referee Maning strictly violated the rules until the middle of the first half, and pulled out a yellow card relatively easily. Park Yong-woo in the 9th minute, Kim Min-jae in the 13th minute, and Lee Ki-je in the 28th minute were given warnings after fouls. Both of them were fouls that occurred in areas other than dangerous areas in the second half, but Maning appeared to pull out the card by applying very strict standards.
It was understandable to some extent considering the degree and circumstances of the foul, but the problem was the consistency of the judgment. When Korean players were subjected to dangerous tackles or fouls, they did not take out yellow cards. Even if he kicked intentionally or tackled strongly toward his ankle, the referee only made a foul but saved the yellow card, which he easily took out. Especially in the first minute of the second half, Son Heung-min was fouled strongly kicking his thigh regardless of the ball, but the referee saved his credit card again. Then, when Cho Kyu-sung collided with the opponent’s defender in the 16th minute of the second half, he gave him a yellow card. Another strict standard was applied to scenes that were neither intentional nor too rough.
At the stadium, the Korean spectators booed referee Ma Ying hard at the decision. Klinsmann and the coaching staff strongly protested as they continued to make inconsistent decisions. Bahraini players continued to make violent fouls. Although the team can defend itself as strongly as it is pushed back in terms of performance, it raised eyebrows at below-level fouls. In the 45th minute of the first half, a scene where Moses Atede had the ball taken away from the midfield area and then fell down and hugged the ball with his hands. It was a way to prevent counterattack, but it was a rare scene in “Neighborhood Soccer,” which is rarely seen in international competitions and professional competitions. Ma Ying took out a yellow card towards Atede. 사설 토토사이트
It was a situation where they could get caught up in a chaotic atmosphere, but the experienced national team players calmly overcame the crisis. He scored the first goal in the first half and did not allow Bahrain to chase, leading with Lee Kang-in’s two goals even after being hit early in the second half.
The first match is the most difficult in all competitions. At a press conference on the eve of the event, Klinsmann also said, “I don’t think any one match will be easy. The start is really important. All of the participating teams are strong. No team is weak. It is important to prepare well and achieve our goal. It will be a difficult game to respect Bahrain. I will continue to tell my players, “Let’s play one game and think about the next one. What matters right now is the match against Bahrain.” Only when the first match is completed well, we can think about the next match. All the focus is on the first match,” he said, predicting that the game will not be easy.
Klinsmann’s prediction became a reality, but the Korean players overcame the crisis well and won three points in the first game of the tournament. Even Kim Min-jae, Lee Ki-je, Cho Kyu-sung and Park Yong-woo were able to show their ease of promising their next time by properly bringing the yellow cards to the bench.