If Korea wins the quarterfinals against Australia at 0:30 a.m. on the 3rd, it will advance to the semifinals against the winner of Tajiki-Jordan.
The real championship competition begins. The quarterfinals of the ‘2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup’ have been confirmed.
The Asian Cup round of 16 schedule was completed on the 1st (Korean time).
The Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany), won the round of 16 against Saudi Arabia held at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on the 31st of last month.
Korea, which had suffered a deep defeat after allowing Abdullah Radif to score the first goal in the first minute of the second half, dramatically sent the game into overtime when Cho Gyu-seong (Midtjylland) scored an equalizer in the 54th minute of the second half.
According to the Korea Football Association, Cho Gyu-sung’s goal against Saudi Arabia was the slowest goal in Korean soccer A-match history (based on regular time).
Afterwards, the two teams, who were unable to decide the winner in overtime, went on to a penalty shootout. In the penalty shootout, goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan HD) boasted a good save.
Saudi’s third kicker, Sami Al-Nahey, and fourth kicker, Abdulrahman Gharib, were blocked by Cho Hyun-woo’s save, and all Korean players were successful and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Korea will play the quarterfinals against Australia at 0:30 am on the 3rd at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar.
Two teams, strong contenders for the championship and representatives of the Asian Cup, meet in the second game of the tournament, attracting attention.
Australia defeated Indonesia, led by coach Shin Tae-yong, 4-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Since they won within regular time, they have a physical advantage over Korea. Rest time is also longer, so physical strength is expected to determine victory or defeat.
The team that wins this day will meet the winner of Tajikistan and Jordan in the semifinals.
Korea competed in the same group as Jordan in Group E of the group stage. They met on the 20th and ended in a 2-2 draw.
Tajikistan defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE), led by former Korean coach Paulo Bento, in a penalty shootout in the round of 16 and advanced to the quarterfinals. He achieved a miracle by reaching the quarterfinals in his first Asian Cup appearance.
Jordan beat Iraq 3-2, which had beaten Japan 2-1 in the group stage.
Neither Tajikistan nor Jordan have ever advanced to the semifinals, so whichever team wins will rewrite the history of the tournament.
Japan and Iran, other strong contenders for the championship, also meet in the quarterfinals.
The two teams will clash at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar at 8:30 pm on the 3rd.
Japan easily advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-1 win over Bahrain in the round of 16.
On the other hand, Iran advanced to the next round with heavy losses.
Iran, which met Syria in the round of 16, was outnumbered as its main striker, Mehdi Taremi, was sent off for accumulating warnings.
Iran, which was tied 1-1 during regular time, won a penalty shootout after extra time and advanced to the quarterfinals. Not only did 10 people play for more than 120 minutes and expend their stamina, but they also faced the issue of Taremi not being able to appear in the finals-level matchup against Japan.
The final match is between the hosts Qatar and Uzbekistan.
They will play the quarterfinals at Al Bait Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar at 0:30 on the 4th.
Qatar defeated Palestine 2-1, and Uzbekistan also defeated Thailand 2-1 to advance to the next round.
The winner of the Iran-Japan match and the winner of the Qatar-Uzbekistan match will play in the semifinals. 19가이드03
