Qatar will be a special place for Cho Kyu-sung (26, Mit Whelan). It is because it is a place of memories that laid the groundwork for Cho, who was an ordinary striker in the K-League, to advance to Europe that he has enjoyed all his life while receiving praise and spotlight from all over the world.
On November 28, 2022 (Korea Standard Time), Alayan Education City Stadium, Qatar. “Bentuho” played its second group match against Ghana at the Qatar World Cup. It lost 2-3 after a slugfest, but one hero was born.
Cho, who had a strong loss by allowing two goals in the first half alone, scored a header goal from a left cross that Lee Kang-in (23) of Paris Saint-Germain sent to the left side just three minutes later to score a thrilling equalizer. It was his fifth and sixth goals in his 18th A-match. Korea postponed its first win of the tournament to the final group match (three games) against Portugal, but the life of a handsome and young Korean striker has changed significantly. It has caught the attention of major European clubs. Notably, Mainz (Germany), where Lee Jae-sung (32) of the Korean national soccer team is involved, displayed strong interest.
At that time, he was not sure about his condition and physical condition, so he postponed his entry to Europe until the summer of the following year, not the immediate winter, and as a result, he headed to a Danish club instead of a big league and a big club, but he successfully made a soft landing, raising expectations for his next move.
And now, Cho is back in Qatar. This time, he is participating in the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup as a member of the Korean national team led by German coach Jürgen Klinsmann. Korea is seeking to regain the top spot in Asia for the first time in 64 years at this year’s Asian Cup. Korean soccer, which has claimed to be an “Asian leader,” won its last Asian Cup title at the second event in 1960.
Klinsmann, who took the helm early last year to replace Paulo Bento (Portugal), who took the helm of the UAE national team after leading Korea to the round of 16 at the Qatar World Cup, has repeatedly said, “Our priority is to win the Asian Cup.” Cho Kyu-sung also said, “We aspire to win the Asian Cup. We will achieve good results with great responsibility.”
Of course, Cho is burdened. As Hwang Ui-jo (32, Nottingham), who is embroiled in controversy over his personal life, has been disqualified from the national team, Cho will take the heavy responsibility of the “Clinsman” one-top. However, the first game was disappointing. In the first Group E match (a 3-1 win) against Bahrain at the Alayan Jasim bin Hamad Stadium on Saturday, Cho was replaced in the 27th minute of the second half without any notable performance. 헤라카지노도메인
Team Korea will have its second Group E match against Jordan at the Altumama Stadium in Doha at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. It is an opportunity to secure advancement to the round of 16 teams early on. Despite steadily gaining opportunities at the “Clinsman Lake,” the team has only scored two goals, but since Cho is capable of scoring one at any time, expectations are high enough. Only when “World Cup Cinderella” opens up the door, can Korean soccer become a long-cherished dream.