“This is the first Asian Cup since the 1996 tournament that Korea has not kept a clean sheet,” the AFC said. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Korea Bizwire) –Jürgen Klinsmann’s South Korean soccer team suffered a shocking defeat in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup semifinals against Jordan, dashing hopes for the country’s first championship in 64 years.
Despite having one of the most highly rated teams in its history, South Korea faced an unexpected setback against Jordan, ranked 87th by FIFA, marking the team’s first loss to their opponent from the Middle East, and attracting significant criticism.
The match, which took place at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, ended in a 2-0 loss for South Korea. This defeat means that South Korea, which last won the tournament in 1960, failed to advance to the finals and had to pack up early.
The loss to Jordan can largely be attributed to a lack of tactical and strategic finesse. South Korea had previously drawn 2-2 against Jordan in the group stages of the tournament last month.
Typically, facing the same opponent again in the same tournament would mean more thorough preparation, but that wasn’t the case for Klinsmann’s team. Not only did they fail to counter Jordan’s strengths, but they also struggled to effectively implement their own game plan on the field.
The decisive factor seemed to be the disparity in managerial skills. Klinsmann’s approach was criticized for being overly reliant on the individual talents of star players like Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, Hwang Hee-chan, and Hwang In-beom, without a coherent team strategy.
This approach, which fans dubbed “do-it-for-me football,” did not pay off, and the selection of a similar lineup to the one used in the group stages and previous knockout rounds left the players visibly exhausted.
Son Heung-min of South Korea reacts to his team’s 2-0 loss to Jordan in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on Feb. 6, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Additionally, the team’s key players were not in optimal condition due to the strenuous matches in the round of 16 and quarter-finals. Despite this, Klinsmann did not adjust his strategy, further taxing the European-based players and others in the lineup, which hindered their ability to focus fully on the game.
Football is a team sport, and the lack of cohesive movement and strategic gameplay can significantly diminish the impact of individual talent, especially when players are physically drained. Jordan capitalized on this by thoroughly analyzing South Korea’s potential attack patterns and exploiting the instability in their defensive line, leading to a historic victory.
In the post-match press conference, Hussein Ammouta, Jordan’s coach, acknowledged the challenge posed by South Korea but credited his team’s effective pressure in certain areas for the win. He expressed respect for Klinsmann and the South Korean players but pointed out that Jordan was more prepared and effective.
The responsibility for this disappointing outcome rests largely on Klinsmann’s shoulders, who failed to deliver on his confident predictions of victory, leaving Qatar empty-handed with strategies and tactics that ultimately proved ineffective.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
