(Note: Additional details, photos)
Written by Yoo Ji-ho
SEOUL, January 15 (Yonhap) – Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Gang-in as South Korea defeated Bahrain 3-1 in the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup held in Qatar on Monday to open the championship race. scored two goals.
Lee broke the tie at 1-1 in the 56th minute at Doha’s Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium and scored an insurance marker 10 minutes later for his sixth goal in his last six international matches.
South Korea, ranked 23rd in the world, scored the opening goal in the 38th minute through midfielder Hwang In-beom, and six minutes after the restart, Abdullah Al Hasash of Bahrain, ranked 86th in the world, scored a goal.
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s South Korea side will next face Jordan, who are ranked 87th, at Doha’s Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is 2:30pm local time, 8:30pm Seoul time.
South Korea aims to win the Asian Cup for the first time since 1960.
South Korea fielded a star-studded starting lineup featuring Lee, Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae. Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Hwang Hee-chan missed the game with an injury to his left hip.
Although South Korea boasted excellent offensive firepower, they were unable to take the initiative from the beginning.
Bahrain displayed a tight and physical defense, stopping South Korea’s series of attacks in the attacking third. Bahrain attempted their first shot of the match, with Mohamed Marhoun heading his shot into the net in about six minutes.
South Korea’s defensive midfielder Park Yong-woo and center back Kim Min-jae each received yellow cards 15 minutes before the start of the game. Another defender, Lee Ki-jae, also received a yellow card in the 28th minute.
After the 30th minute, Korean forward Cho Gu Sung was left alone in front of the goal, but after Lee Jae Sung’s feed went slightly behind him, he took a desperate shot that went well over the goal. .
Bahrain almost took the lead in the 32nd minute when forward Ali Madan got behind a lame South Korean defender and had a one-on-one chance with Kim Seung-gyu inside the goal. However, Madan missed the shot wide to the left with his left foot.
South Korea finally took the lead in the 38th minute on a fortuitous rebound. Before the Bahrain players were ready, South Korea took a free kick from the center and Lee Jae-sung rushed to the left side. His cross bounced off a defender’s leg and rolled to a wide-open Hwang In-beom, who converted with his left foot to give Korea the lead.
Lee Kang-in tried to double South Korea’s lead in the 43rd minute, but his free kick from outside the center of the box went over the goal.
Bahrain showed great determination since the break and their early pressure paid off, with Abdullah Al Hasash scoring the equalizer in the 51st minute.
Marhoun’s first shot from the center of the box hit a South Korean defender, and Al Hasash pounced on the rebound to level the score at 1-1.
South Korea had not conceded a goal in its past seven games until Monday.
However, the Taegeuk Warriors regained the lead five minutes later when Lee Gang-in fired a left-footed rocket from outside the box. The shot hit the left post, but was just out of reach of goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfallah.
Coach Lee then gave South Korea more leeway in the 68th minute. Son Heung-min passed to Hwang In-beom outside the center of the box, Hwang flicked the ball to the right and Lee In-beom came in, taking off Walid Al Khayyam and firing a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner. .
The situation was open on both ends with Bahrain pushing hard to get to one side. In the 80th minute, Said Bakel almost headed in a free kick, but Kim Seung-gyu scored to keep the lead to two points.
In the 87th minute, Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min almost scored the highlight goal. Lee’s picture-perfect through ball sent Son alone into the goal on the left side, but the captain’s right-footed shot just missed the far post.
Son Son received a yellow card in stoppage time after diving into the Bahrain box in an ill-advised attempt to draw a penalty. He was one of five players warned on Monday.
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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