Atmosphere + Rotation’ Klinsmann-ho wins first game against Bahrain

 Klinsmann, aiming to regain the top spot in Asia, takes his first step.

The Korean national football team, led by coach Jürgen Klinsmann, will play the first match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup Group E against Bahrain at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar at 8:30 pm (Korean time) on the 15th. .

Although Korea claims to be the strongest team in Asia, it has not been associated with the Asian Cup for a long time. After reaching the top of the inaugural tournament in 1956, they went on to win the tournament for the second time in a row in 1960, but have never won a trophy since. The wait had already stretched to 1964.

Leading players of the time, including Cha Bum-geun and Park Ji-sung, all attempted the challenge, but failed each time. Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) also appeared three times since 2011, but could not smile until the end.

There were four times that I was frustrated when I was on the verge of winning. From 1972 to 1980, 1988 and 2015, they all failed to win the trophy that seemed within reach.

Coach Klinsmann took charge of the national team in March of last year and set winning the Asian Cup as his top priority. Expectations are greater than ever. The national team captain Son Heung-min, as well as Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), etc. are playing a big role and are evaluated as having the strongest team of all time.

In order to regain normalcy after 64 years, we must take the first step. In terms of objective power and FIFA rankings, Korea, ranked 23rd, is significantly ahead of Bahrain, ranked 86th. Their previous record is 11 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss.

However, you cannot let your guard down. Korea has won all three recent Asian Cup group stage first matches. They also met Bahrain in the 2011 tournament and won 2-1, and defeated Oman (1-0 win) in 2015 and the Philippines (1-0 win) in 2019. On the surface, it looked okay, but they didn't have a big advantage, so much so that they all won by one goal.

Korea also met Bahrain in the round of 16 of the 2019 tournament. At the time, Korea struggled to the point that it advanced to the quarterfinals, winning 2-1 after a close overtime match. Their only loss against Bahrain also came in the 2007 Asian Cup.

The reason why winning the first game is important is that it creates an atmosphere and gives the team more room to manage. Korea, which aims to win, must consider the schedule of the competition, which will last about a month. If you find time to relax quickly in the group stage, you can catch your breath through rotation.

Currently, Korea is missing Hee-chan Hwang, Jae-seong Lee (Mainz), and Jin-soo Kim (Jeonbuk Hyundai) due to injury. Lee Jae-sung is known to have suffered a light bruise, but it is unclear whether Hwang Hee-chan and Kim Jin-su will participate in the group stage. Coach Klinsmann is expected to fill the gap due to their injuries with Hong Hyun-seok (Gent) and Ki-je Lee (Suwon Samsung).

Bahrain, where Korea will meet, is led by Spanish coach Juan Antonio Fish. In the evaluation matches held prior to the tournament, they lost to Australia (lost 0-2) and Angola (lost 0-3).

Korea, which starts its Asian Cup schedule against Bahrain, will also face Jordan on the 20th and Malaysia on the 25th.

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