Son Heung-min’s South Korea are set to face Saudi Arabia in the last 16 of the Asian Cup, with Thailand, Jordan, Bahrain and Indonesia also advancing at the end of Thursday’s group stage. South Korea once again failed to convince, conceding the equalizing goal in the 105th minute in a ridiculous 3-3 draw with mid-ranked Malaysia, whose competition was already over before the game even started.
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s team finished runners-up to Bahrain in Group E, avoiding a match against Japan, who were favorites before the tournament, in their next match in Qatar.
But South Korea have won one and drawn two in their group stage games, conceding six goals in the process, and will need to do even better when they face Roberto Mancini’s Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
German legend Klinsmann, who won the World Cup as a player, said, “We didn’t want to avoid Japan. We wanted to pass in first place. That was our goal.”
“Next is Saudi Arabia and it’s going to be a battle,” he added.
South Korea vs. Tottenham captain Son thought he had won the eventful match with a penalty in the 94th minute, but Romel Morales came on in the 15th minute of stoppage time and Malaysia pulled out a heroic draw.
Son called the result a “huge wake-up call” as South Korea aims to win the Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years.
South Korean talisman also voiced a demand that the players not be subjected to abuse from fans.
He did not go into details, but said his teammates had received “comments that cannot be repeated.”
“Some players have been criticized and received comments that have crossed the line,” he told reporters after the match.
“As a teammate, it really hurts to see the players suffer.”
Several Malaysian fans shed tears during the match as they dreamed of a famous upset, which ultimately did not happen, but the team’s coach said it was a “taste of Asia’s top level”.
“We learned about Asia’s top-level aromas, tastes, and textures,” said Kim Pangong, who is also Korean.
mancini warning
Bahrain surprisingly topped their group after defeating a weakened Jordan 1-0 thanks to Abdullah Yusuf Helal’s superb first-half goal and will now face Japan.
Although Jordan lost, they finished in the top three of the top four, along with Syria, Palestine, and Indonesia.
Bahrain coach Juan Antonio Pizzi said: “Right now we need to rest and prepare for the match against Japan, which is a very strong team.”
“But I believe in the players’ abilities and I’m sure we can get a good result.”
Saudi Arabia, one of the most successful teams in the history of the Asian Cup, having won three times, had already qualified for Group F.
After a frenetic draw in which they scored four canceled goals, they tied 0-0 against Thailand and took the lead in their group to the cheers of a large number of fans at Education City Stadium, one of the venues for the 2022 World Cup. .
Coach Mancini looked ahead to the match against South Korea and said, “We know that it will be a very difficult game, not only for us, but also for them.”
In the other match in Group F, Oman drew 1-1 with Kyrgyzstan and took third place. Both teams were eliminated, allowing Indonesia to win without playing on the day.
It is the first time in their history to reach the knockout phase.
The last 16 begins on Sunday with Australia facing Indonesia, followed by UAE and tournament debutant Tajikistan later in the day.