“What happened to Korean soccer?”
This is the most frequently asked question by foreign journalists after South Korea, which was considered a “candidate to win,” lost to Jordan in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.
Since arriving in Doha, Qatar, on April 9, ahead of the opening of the Asian Cup, South Korea has been drawing the most attention. When the team entered the knockout stage and staged a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, people talked about “Korea is a very good team.” They praised the team for being a strong team, but everyone was puzzled when the team lost the semifinal match against Jordan without any effective shots.
Jordanian and Middle Eastern journalists, who gained momentum after beating Korea, were busy mocking Korea. Many foreign journalists were concerned about what happened to Korea.
Walid, an Omani media outlet known as the Omani Daily who returned to his homeland after being eliminated from the group stage as the third-ranked team, said, “Jordan played a match that deserved to be in the final. Korea, on the other hand, failed to do so. The timing of change was too late. Unfortunately, the result was too late.” Walid also mentioned Jürgen Klinsmann’s tactless mercenary skills in Korea.
Kang Hyung-ki, a reporter for Pitch Communication in Japan, said, “The reason for the elimination is that we have not found a solution that brings out the skills of the golden generation. There must be a solid organization and tactics to make individuals shine.”
Even after the Korean national team left Doha, they were constantly asked questions. It was when they arrived at Lusail Stadium, where the final match between Qatar and Jordan was held. Hassan Youspov, a reporter for the Uzbekistan media “Kun,” also asked in Korean, “What happened to Korea?”
That’s how much interest in the Korean national team is, but on the one hand, I can’t erase the bitter feeling. 핑크알바
During the month in Qatar, he wrote hundreds of comments saying “the first victory in 64 years” in articles. At first, it contained “expectation,” but now it is used as a negative word.
The beginning was truly grand. Despite the manager’s absence of tactics and controversies, he mentioned the word “big leaguer” as his all-time strength, but now he has to wait three years to get the number 67 instead of 64. It would be hard to erase the image of a humble exit amid a grand opening.