In a 3-3 draw with Malaysia, South Korea advances to the round of 16. Bahrain is ranked first.
2024.01.26
Bahrain will play Japan in the next round while Jordan will also wait to discover their last-16 opponents.
After Malaysia held South Korea to a 3-3 tie on Thursday in the 15th minute of extra time, the Koreans finished second in their Asian Cup group. Bahrain emerged victorious, defeating Jordan 1-0.
South Korea ended with five points, while Bahrain won Group E with six, courtesy of a goal by Abdulla Yusuf Helal. Jordan advanced as one of the top third-placed teams and ended third with four points.
Coach Juergen Klinsmann stated that South Korea was disappointed with the outcome but added that they did not intentionally finish second to avoid a decisive matchup with Japan, the runners-up in Group D. The team now wait to find out who they face in the round of sixteen.
“We had no intention of avoiding Japan, and giving up three goals today was not part of our strategy. Our objective was to go to the next round, Klinsmann told reporters.
“We should have won this game, but Malaysia played with a lot of heart, and you have to give them credit.”
In the twenty-first minute, Jeong Woo-Yeong of South Korea scored the first goal after heading in from a corner. When Syihan Hazmi of Malaysia grabbed the ball out of the air, the goal was initially disallowed. However, VAR later verified that the ball had crossed the line.
Six minutes into the second half, though, Malaysia tied the score when they recovered the ball back up the pitch and Faisal Halim ducked and spun to score from close range in the area.
Eleven minutes later, Arif Aiman fouled Seol Young-Woo in the area, earning Malaysia a penalty kick following a VAR check. The striker stepped up to convert the kick, dropping South Korea to third place in the group.
“We can sit down and discuss VAR decisions all day long. Son Heung-min of South Korea stated, “The referee made the decisions; it’s out of our hands and control.”
You are free to disagree or contest the decision, of course, but we must accept their choice. They may view it again on their screens.
The game, however, had late drama when, in the 83rd minute, Lee Kang-in restored parity with a free kick into the top corner that deflected off the post after Hazmi tried a stop and was ruled an own goal.
The referee determined that Oh Hyeon-Gyu was fouled as he was tucked in between two defenders during a ball play. South Korea scored a penalty in injury time thanks to another VAR check, and Son found the bottom corner from the spot.
Romel Morales, however, equalized at the opposite end with almost the final kick of the match in the fifteenth minute of stoppage time, setting off loud celebrations among the Malaysian supporters behind the goal.
For us, the outcome is outstanding. I want to congratulate all of the Malaysian fans and thank you for your support. The guys have done a great job, and I appreciate it all,” Malaysia’s South Korean coach Kim Pan-gon stated.
In the other game, Bahrain scored the winner in the first half on a counterattack spearheaded by Helal, who raced from the center circle with only the goalkeeper to beat and fired from outside the box to score.
Jordan will also have to wait to find out their opponents for the round of 16. Bahrain will play Japan in the following round.
@charith
