The Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, will play the first Group E match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup against Bahrain at 8:30 p.m. on the 15th (Korea Standard Time) at Jasim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
To regain the top spot in 64 years, the first round must be smooth sailing. Korea, which aims to pass the group winners, has been preparing for a long time to beat Bahrain, which is the toughest team in Group E, by a possible margin.
Now at the starting line, Klinsmann expressed his commitment to achieve his goal. “This Asian Cup is special. We are ready to do well as a team. We will try our best to bring good results to fans,” Klinsmann told an official press conference ahead of the match against Bahrain.
Korea is ahead of Bahrain in objective performance, but the first game is not always easy. Korea cannot be complacent, considering that Japan, which had previously been predicted to have an overwhelming advantage, had struggled with allowing two goals to Vietnam. Korea should not be taken lightly that it was the Asian Cup held in 2007, when it lost to Bahrain only once in its past matches.
Korea is determined not to allow unexpected events. As Korea has been solidifying its basic framework including “Best Eleven” for a long time in preparation for the Asian Cup, it is expected that the team will put considerable weight on the spear from the first round. Chances are high that European leagues such as Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Cho Kyu-sung (Mitt Whelan), and Hwang In-beom (Zrvena Zvezda) will lead the offense.
He is expected to clearly show the difference in power. “Korea has a large number of players with strong attacking talents,” Australian media outlet Sporting News said. “There are many players who have been in good condition at the best clubs in Europe,” adding, “Son Heung-min has found his form, and Hwang Hee-chan is doing well at the Wolverhampton Wanderers. Lee Kang-in is impressive in his ability to create chances.” They predicted that Korea will be able to score four goals against Bahrain.
Gamblers have similar expectations. Bet 365 also viewed Korea’s victory the strongest by a two-goal margin. In particular, it was said that 3-1 was realistic. 사설 토토사이트
Korea also seems to have high expectations for its four-goal rank. Japan and Iran, which are expected to win the title along with the Clinsman team, surpassed the first round match with four goals. Japan once had difficulty being dragged 1-2 by Vietnam, but won 4-2 by banking on their individual skills. Japan, which has 20 players from European leagues, demonstrated their true value. Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco), Keito Nakamura (Lance) and Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord) who jointly scored four goals each, were all from European leagues.
Iran also scored four goals in Group C. Iran, which had its first match with Palestine, started with goals scored by Karim Ansarifad of Omonia, followed by Shoja Khalizadech of Tactor and Mehdi Ghayedi of Itihad Kalba. Ace Sardar Azmun of AS Roma also scored a goal to start the tournament.