South Korea out of the Asian Cup
Klinsmann extremely annoyed after defeat against Jordan
Jürgen Klinsmann and the South Korean national football team missed the final of the Asian Cup. The former national coach's team lost the semi-final against Jordan 0:2. The selection, celebrated in South Korea as the “zombie team”, is still waiting for its first title since 1960.
Former German national football coach Jürgen Klinsmann and South Korea were surprisingly eliminated in the semi-finals of the Asian Cup. The World Cup round of 16 team deservedly lost 0:2 (0:0) to outsiders Jordan at the finals in Qatar after a poor performance. The Jordanians had already caused South Korea massive problems in the group phase, achieving a 2:2 draw. Now they went one step further.
This means that South Korea will have to wait for its third title and its first since 1960 at the continental championship. Jordan, on the other hand, is in the final of the Asian Cup for the first time and will face hosts Qatar or Iran on Saturday, who will face each other in the second semi-final on Wednesday.
Shortly after the game, Klinsmann did not want to think about resigning. “I do not plan to do anything,” said the 59-year-old. “I plan to analyze this tournament and talk to the Korean association about what was good and what was not so good. There is still a lot of work ahead of us.” He was “disappointed” and “angry,” said Klinsmann. “Our big goal was to reach the final.”
Yazan Al-Naimat (53') and Musa Suleiman (66') scored the goals for Jordan in Al-Rayyan. In a fast-paced first half, Klinsmann's team hit the post with a header from Mainz's Jae-Sung Lee. They never came any closer to scoring, not having a single shot on goal in the entire match.
Criticism of Klinsmann is likely to become louder
The South Koreans, who luckily advanced in the round of 16 against Saudi Arabia on penalties and in the quarter-final against Australia in extra time, sorely missed the suspended defender Minjae Kim from FC Bayern. But the attack around superstar Heung-Min Son also didn't work out very well.
This means that Klinsmann, who watched the elimination with a stony look on his face, will continue to have a difficult time in South Korea. The 1990 world champion had already been criticised before the tournament after not winning any of his first five games with the Taegeuk Warriors. The fact that he spends more time abroad than in South Korea was also frowned upon – similar to his time as national coach.
The results at the Asian Cup were also modest. South Korea only won one of five games in regular time. Late goals in particular saved the team from an early exit. This also resulted in the nickname of Klinsmann's team, which was born during the tournament: “Zombie Team”. The former national coach acknowledged this with a smile. But there was no late comeback against Jordan; the “Zombie Team” was history.
