The Taegeuk Warriors made another late comeback to defeat the Socceroos and keep their hopes of winning the Asia Cup title alive.
Al Wakra, Qatar – South Korea has made a habit of leaving games until the deathbed of stoppage time in order to come back from the knockout stage and advance to the next round at the AFC Asian Cup 2023 to be held in Qatar.
They pulled off another heist to break Australian hearts in the quarter-finals at Al Janoub Stadium on Friday night with a stunning 2-1 come-from-behind victory.
Because of this, Jurgen Klinsmann, the German coach of the Korean national team, joked that perhaps his team should start every match with a score of 0-1.
“It's not a good idea to wait 120 minutes for a result, so maybe we can win if we start in front of the goal.” [a win] Sooner,'' a perplexed Klinsmann told reporters after the match.
South Korea took 96 minutes to score a goal, scored by Hwang Hee-chan from the penalty spot. This sealed their place in the finals and gave their talismanic captain Son Heung-min the chance to surprise with a brilliant winning goal in the 15th minute. Australia.
The Socceroos took the lead in the 42nd minute when Craig Goodwin picked up a loose ball in front of the Korean goal, breaking a tense first half.
The Australians took the lead and showed strong defense to keep the Taegeuk Warriors at bay until the end of the second half.
As the night progressed, the temperature at Al Wakrah dropped to 14 degrees Celsius, but the action on the field heated up as South Korea began attacking Australia's goal. It was similar to the late attack against Saudi Arabia that ultimately produced the equalizer and victory on penalties.
This time, a penalty kick was awarded in the 6th minute of additional time, and the score was tied. South Korea controlled the match in extra time, with Australia barely able to catch up.
In the 103rd minute, South Korea won a free kick on the edge of Australia's inner area, and Son converted it into a corner to complete another spectacular comeback.
The crowd, which had been chanting his name all night, began a wild celebration of relief, joy and disbelief.
Many of those fans arrived in Doha after a 10-hour overnight flight from Seoul, but said playing two games in a row was too much.
“They are [the team] They have to stop doing this to us now,” Korean fan Kim Hye-sung told Al Jazeera shortly after the victory was decided.
“They create miracles because they never give up,” he says.
Klinsmann said he is aware the team faces expectations from fans in the stadium and from fans back home.
“Sometimes the pressure gets in the way of the players.” [mentally] At first – but when you’re down, you know you just have to move on from there,” said the former World Cup winner.
For fans like Leo Chan, it's more about having faith in the team. But they say it will be difficult for themselves and their supporters, he said.
“I tried to leave the stadium just before the penalty was given, but now we are in the final because they are miracle players and we will definitely win.” [the championship]”
