Written by John Duerden
South Korea coach Jurgen Klinsmann plans to thank the soccer gods for Lee Kang-in, who made the difference in his side’s 3-1 win over Bahrain in their first Asian Cup match in Qatar on Monday. If Lee plays the same way against Jordan on Saturday, the Warriors will advance to the Round of 16 with one game left in Group E.
First of all, it should be pointed out that there are many examples of favored teams being eliminated in the opening round of the tournament. In fact, Argentina suffered a shocking defeat to Saudi Arabia in the opening game of the 2022 World Cup, but went on to lift the trophy just weeks later.
In fact, South Korea won. The team didn’t play particularly well against Bahrain, but Lee has a special talent. The Paris Saint-Germain star impressed even before he scored his two second-half goals, and they were beautiful goals. Lee managed the match even though Son Heung-min was resting inside the opponent’s penalty area.
However, Bahrain scored early in the second half to make it 1-1, moments before Lee scored a stunning first goal with a shot from outside the area. Without Lee’s intervention, things might have ended very differently.
While we shouldn’t read too much into the first match, there are existing concerns that Klinsmann may be relying too much on star players who make a difference, rather than actually implementing a consistent strategy, tactic and style of play. Concerns grow even more. Individual talent could earn them wins against teams like Bahrain, and perhaps subsequent games against Jordan and Malaysia, but the two-time champions could still win against teams like Iran, Australia and What will happen especially if we play against a strong team like Japan?
That’s in the future. Son missed two great chances against Bahrain, and everyone will be hoping that his yellow card for diving doesn’t trouble the team again. Another yellow means he will be suspended for one game.
The captain believes that the secret to improving performance lies in the hands of the players. “We have a great team and incredibly talented players, but it’s all about dedication,” Son said. “We have an unbelievable team, but we haven’t won a championship in 64 years, which is a long time. Our only goal is to make this team special and to make it special. It’s about making it a special year.”
Son’s job is to focus on the positive. Although it wasn’t very convincing, the 3-1 victory that they won easily in the end was still a victory. It’s a platform to build on. The team that wins the tournament gains momentum and grows as the match progresses.
Everyone will be hoping for a victory against Jordan, who defeated Malaysia 4-0 in Saturday’s opening match. That means South Korea will advance to the round of 16 with one game to spare. This is where the real battle begins.
That would be a dream scenario as it would mean resting the big stars and allowing some of the younger players to get some playing time in the final game against Malaysia.
So far so good. South Korea needs to improve, but there is plenty of time to do so.