South Korea will need to control Australia midfielder Jackson Irvine (30).
The South Korean national football team, led by Jürgen Klinsmann, will take on Australia in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qatar 2023 at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, on Wednesday at 0:30 a.m. ET.
South Korea reached the quarterfinals with a dramatic win in the Round of 16. After conceding an early goal to Saudi Arabia, Cho Kyu-sung’s dramatic header in second-half stoppage time sent the game into extra time. 카지노사이트 Both teams failed to score in the extra time, forcing a penalty shootout to decide the winner.
The winner of the penalty shootout was Cho Hyun-woo. Cho Hyun-woo saved both Saudi Arabia’s third and fourth kicks. Son Heung-min, Kim Young-kwon, Cho Kyu-sung, and Hwang Hee-chan followed suit to secure the win.
Unlike South Korea, Australia’s Round of 16 match against Indonesia was a blowout. The Aussies struggled in the first half, but were fortunate to take the lead through an own goal, and then focused to add three more goals. The Socceroos also had the physical advantage of playing two days earlier than South Korea.
South Korea and Australia have stark differences in playing styles. While South Korea plays with passing and speed, Australia plays “power soccer” with physicality and height.
With strong physicality primarily in the defense, Irvin plays a big role in the midfield. Irvine is a ‘box-to-box’ midfielder who covers the entire midfield at nearly 6-foot-2. He is extremely active and can create offense from short passing plays in the midfield. Irvin has started every game in the tournament and has two goals.
For South Korea, if they can’t control Irvin, they’ll likely lose the midfield battle and drag the game out. With more pressure on Hwang In-beom and Park Yong-woo, who usually lead the Korean midfield, the risk of offensive breakdowns and defensive faltering becomes even greater. This is a quarterfinal matchup that requires an edge in the midfield battle.