It was not an easy journey to the semifinals. The team had one win and two draws in the group league, and advanced to the round of 16 as the second-ranked team in the group. The opponent was Saudi Arabia. Cho Kyu-sung's header equalizer in the second half of the match made it 1-1 before the game ended, and after 120 minutes of intense struggle to advance to the second half, the match was not decided. In the end, Cho made it to the penalty shootout, and enjoyed an emotional 4-2 victory.
The quarterfinals were also a drama. Again, it was dragged to 0-1 and the equalizer was scored in the second half extra time. Son Heung-min broke through in the box and collapsed in the opponent's tackle. The referee immediately declared a penalty kick, and Hwang Hee-chan, the kicker, succeeded neatly. So he went into overtime, and this time Son Heung-min appeared as a troubleshooter. He shook the net with a picture-like winding shot of a free kick Hwang Hee-chan got. It was a dramatic come-from-behind goal.
"We have two games to win. We have to catch Jordan first. It's the first return match in two weeks. We met in the group stage, but we had a 2-2 draw at the time.
We looked back on the quarterfinals between South Korea and Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tajikistan. The media explained, "Son Heung-min already shone in the extra time against Australia, and Jordan scored a lucky own goal against Tajikistan." "The team led by Klinsmann continues to make history and is doing its best to overcome the barrier beyond the semi-final that has not been broken for years," he said.
"He has already played a key role in advancing to the semifinals and now has a chance to make history by winning his third Asian Cup championship," Sport said. "He has a golden opportunity with the national team. He is already one of the architects who led the semifinals. Now he is entering a new finals and wants to bring more joy to his country."
"Korea has already won two championships (1956 and 1960), but has not achieved any achievements for a long time. That's why this match between Korea and Jordan is more than just one match," he said.
BY: 스포츠토토핫