Japan, one of the strong Asian Cup favorites, suffered a shock defeat to Iraq after revealing problems in goalkeeper positions.
In Korea, too, Kim Seung-gyu, the main goalkeeper, has been sidelined due to an injury ahead of the second group match, and Cho Hyun-woo is highly likely to take over. Can Korea, unlike Japan, solve the problem that occurred in the goalkeeper’s position.
South Korea’s men’s soccer team, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, will face Jordan in the second Group E match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup at Altumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, at 8:30 p.m. on the 20th (Korea time).
While preparing for the match against Jordan after the 3-1 victory in the first match against Bahrain, Korea encountered an unexpected unfavorable factor. The Korea Football Association said on Wednesday, “Kim Seung-gyu ruptured his cruciate ligament in his right knee during an on-the-board game training the day before. The MRI result came out last night. I will return home early after being called off from the military service.” In general, injuries caused by ruptured cruciate ligaments require recovery for at least six months to one year.
Kim Seung-gyu is the undisputed main goalkeeper of the Korean national team. Since Paulo Bento’s inauguration after the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he has maintained the position of the main goalkeeper of the Korean national team for about four and a half years. As the main goalkeeper of the Asian Cup, he naturally played the first game against Bahrain.
However, with Kim’s sudden departure, Cho Hyun-woo, the No. 2 goalkeeper, is likely to be promoted to the main goalkeeper. goalkeeper Song Bum-keun has yet to play in the Klin’s Manho team. Cho played in a match against Vietnam in October last year.
Cho Hyun-woo made his name known across the nation by contributing the most to his team’s defeat of Germany through his impressive defense at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. However, he spent a lot of time on the bench not only in Bento but also in Klinsmann due to his relatively weak feet, ball control, and passes. Cho, who gave up starting positions to Kim Seung-gyu at both the 2019 Asian Cup and 2022 World Cup, will be his first participation in a tournament of continental level or higher since the World Cup in Russia if he starts this match. It will also be the first time for Cho to participate in an Asian Cup in his career.
Coincidentally, Japan, which had an issue with the goalkeeper’s position like Korea, collapsed in the second Group D match against Iraq on the 19th, starting with the goalkeeper’s mistake. In the 5th minute of the first half, the ball hit by Japanese goalkeeper Suzuki Zion went straight to the head of the opponent’s Iraqi striker, which led to an easy header. Japan, which lost a point due to a ridiculous mistake from the beginning, eventually suffered a 1-2 shock loss to Iraq, making it impossible to guarantee the top spot in the group. 헤라카지노도메인
In Japan, the sum of the three goalkeepers’ A-match participation in the Asian Cup (Suzuki Zion 6 times, Daiya Maekawa 1 time, and Tayshi Brandon Nozawa 0 time) was less than 10 games, so there were concerns in terms of experience, but it eventually became an Achilles’ heel from the group stage. Of course, Cho Hyun-woo has more national team experience than the three of them combined in 24 A-matches, but if he plays against Jordan, it will be a challenge for both the team and the players because it will be on a big stage for the first time in a long time.