South Korea successfully booked their seats in the quarter-finals, winning over Saudi Arabia in the AFC Asian Cup on Tuesday at the Education City Stadium..
South Korea vs Saudi Arabia: 4-2 in penalty shootout
S. Korea National Football Team defeated their opponent team, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Returning from the dead end and after a nerve-wracking 16 rounds, they finalized their position in the quarter-finals of the AFC.
Abdullah Radif led 1-0 for Saudi Arabia in the 46th minute and opened the scorecard for his team.
The striker of South Korea, Cho Gue-sung equalized the game by turning the scores 1-1. Thereafter, the game was declared to be sent into extra minute.
Following the 1-1 draw, South Korea managed to convert all the penalties that came their way. The match survived for 120 minutes declaring South Korea as the winner.
In an anxiety-giving and exciting encounter, Saudi Arabia’s hopes were shattered in rounds of 16 encounters. On the other hand, the team members including the captain, Son Heung-min, and the head coach, Jürgen Klinsmann were the happiest.
Jo Hyeon-woo: The ‘Champion’
The stadium with more than 40,000 spectators could witness the ‘heroic power’ of the second-choice goalkeeper of the team, Jo Hyeon-woo. He saved multiple penalties made by the players of the opponent team. He managed to save attempts from the midfielder, Sami Khalil Al-Najei, and the winger, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, of spot-kicks in the third and fourth rounds. As a result of this, the forward player of the match Hwang Hee-chan was successful in smashing the penalty that helped the team win to qualify into the top corner.
In an interview following the match, Jo told the reporters that he “had confidence” that he “could make some saves” for his team. He expressed how “happy” he was to take his team to the “next round.”
Klinsmann: A Proud Coach
Jürgen Klinsmann, the head coach of South Korea, expressed that this “win” against Saudi Arabia has given him “optimism, belief, and energy” to fight the next match against Australia. In a recent interview, Klinsmann confessed that he truly “enjoy coaching” his team. He also revealed how “badly” the team members “want to do well for their country.”
South Korea vs Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia’s Loss
Saudi Arabia failed to score against South Korea again. They lost to South Korea in last four games. This repeated loss to South Korea has dashed their hopes. The last win of Saudi Arabia over South Korea was met in the year 2005, a 1-0 victory, on the way in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.
If compared, Saudi Arabia has been ranked 56th in the world while on the other hand, South Korea has been given the rank of 23.
Therefore, South Korea is far ahead of Saudi Arabia.
What’s next for the Klinsmann’s Team?
Furthermore, after winning against Saudi Arabia 4-3 penalty shootout, Son Heung-min’s team finalized their meeting with the Australia National Football Team. The match is scheduled for Friday at Al Janoub Stadium.
