The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, faces Jordan in the second Group E match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup at Altumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, at 8:30 p.m. on the 20th (Korea time). Klinsmann started the lineup similar to that of the first game. Instead of Kim Seung-gyu (Al Shabaab), who collapsed due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan HD) started. It is a 4-4-2 formation. The 10 field players have not changed. Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) and Cho Kyu-sung (Mitwillan) are the two-top players, while Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hwang In-beom (Zrvena Zvezda), Park Yong-woo (Al Ain), and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) made up the midfield. Lee Ki-je (Suwon Samsung), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Jung Seung-hyun and Seol Young-woo (Ulsan) made up the four-back lineup.
Jordan faced off in a 3-4-2-1 formation. The goalkeeper’s gloves were worn by Yazid Aburaila. Yazan al-Naimat, Ali Oluran and Moussa al-Tamari stood in front. Mahmut al-Mardi, Rajaei Ayed, Nizar Alashidan and Essan Haddad formed the midfield. Salem al-Jalin, Yazan al-Rab and Abdallah Nasib were on the defense. Al-Tamari and al-Mardi were the players who scored multiple goals in the match against Malaysia. Al-Tamari, in particular, is a striker who plays for Montpellier in the French League 1 and is also called “Jordan Salah.”
There were almost variables from the beginning of the game. In the first minute of the first half, Hwang complained of pain after colliding with the opponent team. After checking the medical staff, Hwang got up after shaking off his head and returned to the stadium. Korea recorded its first shot. In the third minute, Lee Kang-in beat the defense from the right side and attempted a mid-range shot with his left foot. The ball went off to the right side of the goal. Four minutes into the match against Jordan, Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) was tackled by the opponent team’s defense. Receiving Hwang’s pass, Son was rushing into the gate and encountered the goalkeeper. Haddad stuck out his foot to block Son’s breakthrough. The referee did not attempt a penalty kick in the initial decision. VAR was declared. The referee headed toward the end line for an on-field review. The final decision was a penalty kick. The referee took out a warning card to the defender.
Son Heung-min, who played as a kicker, scored with a right footed shot. It was his first Asian Cup goal. Korea led the way with a first goal in the eighth minute of the first half. Korea led the game after the goal. Son Heung-min’s second goal was almost scored. Lee Jae-sung’s cross was kicked hard with his left foot in the 20th minute, but the ball was blocked by the defender’s strong defense. Korea’s long pass shook Jordan’s defense for a moment. Jordan gradually raised its line. It was desperate for an equalizer. In the 24th minute, they faced off with Korean players in a corner kick situation. The referee put the situation to an end with verbal warnings to the players of both teams.
Al-Tamari was a threat. In the 27th minute, Al-Tamari dribbled alone to reach the Korean camp. Hwang quickly blocked Al-Tamari’s advance with a tackle. Hwang was shown a yellow card. Korea overcame the crisis with Cho Hyun-woo’s good defense in the 28th minute. He punched the opponent’s direct free kick. He blocked the ball with his right foot by reaching out his hand. The check was particularly strong against Hwang. Al-Rab hit him with his elbow. In the early part of the first half, Hwang also collapsed after colliding with his opponent. The referee gave Al-Rab a yellow card.
Jordan continued its flow for a while. It targeted Korea by increasing the ball possession rate. However, the closing pass was inaccurate. Korea calmly defended its opponent’s long ball. In the 32nd minute, Son fell down due to the opponent’s strong tackle. Nasib’s foot went deep inside Son. Son grimaced in pain. Fortunately, he got up again and played. 동행복권파워볼
There was also one crisis. Jordan took the ball away from Korea through forward pressure in the 34th minute. It quickly continued its attack and even completed a mid-range shot. The ball went wide on the goal. The tying goal was conceded by Jordan’s Al-Rab in the 37th minute. It seemed that Jordan’s Al-Rab kicked the ball in the face of a corner kick. Park Yong-woo made an own goal while trying to clear the ball. At the moment, Korea’s defense missed Jordan’s penetration. The team is neck and neck 1-1 in the first half. In the first match, Korea beat Bahrain 3-1. Jordan beat Malaysia 4-0. The result of the match is likely to determine the first place in the group.