The national soccer team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, will compete in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, which will open in Doha, Qatar on January 12 and seek to win the title for the first time in 64 years. South Korea, which belongs to Group E, will play Bahrain (15th), Jordan (20th) and Malaysia (25th) in the group qualifying round.
Korea won the title in two consecutive events, the first in 1956 and the second in 1960. However, Korea finished runner-up only four times over the next 64 years, with no chance to win the title. Some even call it the “curse of the Asian Cup” as there are many unfortunate scenes. With world class players including Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in enjoying their prime time, 2024 is the best time for Korea to regain the Asian throne.
Korea’s biggest rival is Japan, which is aiming at its fifth championship. Japan, which plays overseas, surpasses Korea in terms of player value. Key players such as Kaoru Mitoma and Takefusa Kubo are injured, but there are replacements as many as possible. The Japanese media also seem confident that the Japanese team will win the title. The “Football Zone” boasted that the Japanese team was the strongest, quoting Italian media OA Sport Galchio.
The Italian media outlet said, “The Italian media summarized that Japan, Iran and South Korea are the favorites to win the Asian Cup, and analyzed the strength of the three countries. Japan’s second term with Mitoma and Gubo will be fatal to the opponent country given that the quality of the Asian Cup is not very high. Japan is the most famous team in Asia.”
As for Korea, Kim said, “We have Kim Min-jae and Son Heung-min, who are not the strongest team but the most famous and experienced players in this year’s championship. Kim will demonstrate again how he played the leading role when leading Napoli to the championship. Son has been enjoying his prime time for more than five years at Tottenham, and as the Korean captain, he is trying to successfully lead the tiger.” The premise is that Korea’s performance is not that big except for Son and Kim Min-jae.
Iran said, “The delicate political situation in our country could affect Qatar. Its defense is not solid and somewhat unstable. However, we have the most complete strikers at this year’s event.” 바카라