DOHA: South Korea head coach Jurgen Klinsmann expressed mixed feelings about the thrilling encounter that saw his side secure a spot in the 2023 Asian Cup round of 16 despite conceding three goals against a resilient Malaysia in their last Group E match, last night.
The German football legend acknowledged the excitement of the six-goal game but was critical of the Taegeuk Warriors’ defensive performance.
“You saw a very exciting game with six goals (but) I’m very angry at how we conceded the goals. When you controlled a game as much as we did and things like this happened, then you don’t get a two-goal advantage.
“We can do better in the defensive transition, but overall, the group stage is done, and now the tournament really starts,” he told a post-match press conference at the Al Janoub Stadium here.
Looking forward to the knockout stage tie against Saudi Arabia, Klinsmann highlighted the need for improvement in specific areas.
“It wasn’t our plan to concede three goals today just to avoid Japan. We wanted to go through as group winners, and the team tried. Malaysia played with a lot of heart, but we should have won this game,” the 59-year-old, a World Cup winner in 1990 added.
Commenting further, Klinsmann who also helped Germany win the European Championship for the third time in 1996 as a player, said South Korea needed to be ready for any opponents if they wanted to fulfil their ambitions of clinching the title.
In the thrilling match that kept fans on the edge of their seats last night, Malaysia pulled off the remarkable draw when substitute Romel Morales found the net at the end of 15 minutes of added time.
Midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong drew first blood for the two-times champions in the 21st minute before Malaysia fought back to lead after 17 minutes in the second half with goals from Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim’s strike and Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi’s penalty.
However, South Korea equalised with just 10 minutes of regulation time left through an own goal by goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, before taking the lead at 3-2 through a penalty by Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min in added time.
South Korea’s last triumph in the Asian Cup dates back 64 years to their victory on home soil and their most recent appearance in the final was during the 2015 edition held in Australia. -Bernama
