[Asian Cup] ‘Seol Young-woo 15.5km — Son Heung-min 14.5km’ The distance he played after two days off, won the match against Australia with ‘spirit.’
The South Korean national team, led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, beat Australia 2–1 in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup at Al-Zanub Stadium in Alwakra, Qatar, at 0:30 a.m. on the 3rd (Korea time).
Among the eight teams that advanced to the quarterfinals, Korea had the least break time. Korea had only two days to rest until the quarterfinals after a match against Saudi Arabia in the round of 16, but even had a penalty shootout after overtime. Australia, on the other hand, had four days to rest after defeating Indonesia 4–0 within 90 minutes, resulting in a two-day gap.
Another task that was considered along with the victory was to finish the game within 90 minutes. This is because if you go to extra time, you will inevitably lose your stamina. The side of time was regarded as Australia, and Korea played the game with anxiety.
A worrisome situation happened. Korea lost a point in the first half and struck a balance right before the end of the second half. As a result, the game went to overtime. However, when the Korean players entered the extra time, they fought hard and drove Australia by playing harder and more. Rather, it felt like the situation was the opposite. With the come-from-behind goal of “Captain” Son Heung-min, Korea was able to win 2–1.
The result of the match between Korea and Australia was almost like a miracle. On Thursday, a report on the match between Korea and Australia was released. In addition, the “physical data” section confirmed the distance Korean players ran. The top five players included Seol Young-woo with 15.54 kilometers, Son Heung-min with 14.46 kilometers, Park Yong-woo with 14.09 kilometers, Kim Min-jae with 13.91 kilometers, and Kim Young-kwon with 13.87 kilometers. Lee Kang-in, who was replaced last time, was also found to have enjoyed 13.45 kilometers.
He played crazy in the group league and the match against Saudi Arabia after just two days off, and was able to play in the match against Australia only because of his mental strength. This allowed Korea to continue its journey at the Asian Cup.
After the match against Australia, Kim Young-kwon left the mixed zone, saying, “I’m sorry, I’m so tired.” That was understandable, and it was fortunate that he didn’t collapse.
BY: 스포츠토토핫
