Son Heung-min shines, South Korea makes a dramatic comeback, eliminating Australia from the 2023 Asian Cup semi-finals

The match between South Korea and Australia in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup that ended in the early morning of February 3 was considered the most evenly matched match, as both teams were undefeated since the beginning of the tournament, had many stars and diverse playing styles.

Especially for South Korea, a victory over Australia will reaffirm the championship candidate status of coach Jurgen Klinsmann and his team, after the Korean team had to struggle to defeat Saudi Arabia.

Korean team deadlocked

However, the Australian team is not an easy opponent to defeat. Faced with the strength of the Korean attack (scoring 9 goals in the last 4 matches), Australia advocated a tight defense, blocking the central space, forcing Korea to push the ball out to the side.

In the first half, there was a time when Mr. Klinsmann's students held the ball up to 79%, but could not create opportunities against the solid and scientific style of play that the Australian team deployed.

The Australian team even had more "shooting" situations. In the 19th minute, Craig Goodwin skillfully dribbled and then shot diagonally outside the penalty area, forcing goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo to dive to save. Conor Metcalfe rushed in to kick the ball back, but his touch went wide of the goal.

While Australia attacked with varied, short-touch but effective combinations, the Korean team played in a deadlock. Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, Hwang In-beom and Cho Gue-sung were separated, causing the combinations to come to a dead end.

In the 32nd minute, South Korea shook the Australian net when Hwang Hee-chan appeared in the right place to tap the ball into the net from close range, but the goal was disallowed because left-back Seol Young-woo was offside.

Goodwin's goal

Australia's attacking efforts were rewarded in the 42nd minute, when Nathaniel Atkinson broke free on the right edge of the box and sent a ball just wide for Goodwin to finish with his left foot. Goodwin's instep was so dangerous that goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo tried to dive but could not save South Korea from conceding a goal.

In the second half, the Australian team dropped deeper and played more tightly, while Korea had to risk attacking.

However, the Korean team's crosses from the sidelines were blocked because the Australian defense was very disciplined. With tall central defenders, typically Harry Souttar at 1.98 m tall, the Australian team was very good at neutralizing high balls.

Lee Kang-in is closely guarded.

More opportunities came to Korea in the last 15 minutes, when veteran midfielder Lee Jae-sung (playing for Mainz 05) entered the field. In the 77th minute, Lee Kang-in passed the ball to Lee Jae-sung, but goalkeeper Matthew Ryan rushed out to clear the danger.

In the 84th minute, Australia responded with a sharp counterattack. Jordan Bos broke free on the left wing and sent a pass that hit the Korean defender's leg. Mitchell Duke headed the ball in, but despite goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo's foot being rooted to the spot, the ball went wide of the post.

However, just like the match against Saudi Arabia, Korea once again escaped in extra time. In the 90+5 minute, Son Heung-min skillfully maneuvered in the penalty area, forcing defender Lewis Miller to commit a foul and receive a penalty. At the 11m mark, Hwang Hee-chan defeated goalkeeper Ryan with a very dangerous shot, bringing the match back to the starting line.

The 1-1 score dragged the two teams into extra time. From then on, the game completely belonged to the Korean team.

Son Heung-min shines

After missing many scoring opportunities, coach Klinsmann's team increased the score to 2-1 in the 104th minute. From a free kick about 18 meters from the goal, Son Heung-min skillfully shot the ball over the wall, leaving goalkeeper Ryan with no chance to save.

Australia's chance ended in the 105th minute when Aiden O'Neill was sent off for a rough tackle on Hwang Hee-chan. With only 10 men on the pitch, Australia could not find an equalizer. If the Korean strikers had not been unlucky, Australia's tally would have been much higher than 2 goals conceded.

By defeating Australia 2-1, the Korean team is in the semi-finals. Coach Klinsmann and his team will face Jordan - the team that defeated Tajikistan 1-0 in the quarter-finals.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/son-heung-min-toa-sang-han-quoc-nguoc-dong-nghet-tho-loai-uc-khoi-ban-ket-asian-cup-2023-185240202234659127.htm