On Dec. 3 last year, the Red Devils roared in Qatar. The Korean national team led by then coach Paulo Bento (Portugal) beat European powerhouse Portugal 1-0 in the final Group H match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and made a dramatic advance to the round of 16 strongest teams. Not only players but also cheering squads were thrilled to advance to the tournament for the first time in 12 years since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
“Again, Qatar.”
The Korea Football Association launched such a slogan in an exhibition match early this year. It was a pledge to recreate the emotion of the Qatar World Cup at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup, which will kick off in Qatar on Jan. 12 next year (local time). Will Qatar remain the land of glory forever in Korean soccer? The noble journey of becoming the leader of Asia is only one month away.
Korea is aiming to win the title at the Qatar Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years. Korea, which claims to be the dominant power in Asia, advanced to the round of 16 teams at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, the 2010 South African World Cup, and last year’s World Cup in Qatar, as well as 10 consecutive World Cup finals, but failed to win the title at the Asian Cup each. Since winning the first title at the first event in 1956 and the second event at the 1960s, Korea has never topped the list. Even in the 2000s, Korea failed to achieve its dream of winning the title by ranking third in 2000, the quarterfinals in 2004, the quarterfinals in 2007, the third in 2011, the runner-up in 2015, and the quarterfinals in 2019.
Korea’s “legendary” Jürgen Klinsmann is at the helm of Germany to relieve his frustration. Klinsmann, who has gained high expectations by advocating “aggressive football,” has been disappointed as he has not won five games (three draws and two losses) since his inauguration in February.
However, the team showed only a brief slump. Korea had its first win against Saudi Arabia (1-0) in September, and continued its five-game winning streak through Tunisia (4-0) and Vietnam (6-0) in October, a 5-0 landslide victory against Singapore in the second qualifying match for the 2026 North-China World Cup last month, and a 3-0 complete victory against China. Attacking soccer, which Klinsmann was confident about, has been booming during the recent winning streak. He has scored a whopping 18 goals in the latest four games. He has scored more than four goals per game.
The national team, which is continuing its momentum, is evaluated as having the “best level ever” talent. Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham), a former top scorer in the English Premier League (EPL), is holding on with his captain’s armband, while “Monster Defender” Kim Min-jae (27, Bayern Munich), “Soccer Genius” Lee Kang-in (22, Paris Saint-Germain), “Bull” Hwang Hee-chan (27, Wolverhampton), Hwang In-beom (27, Zvezda), Lee Jae-sung (31, Mainz), and Cho Kyu-sung (25, Mit Whelan) are considered the strongest team ever. There are world-class players in both sides of offense and defense, so they have a good balance. 헤라카지노
Above all, unlike Son Heung-min who was isolated due to the concentration of checks on opposing defenders in the past, Hwang Hee-chan and Lee Kang-in took the lead in the attack, and Son Heung-min also became free. In particular, Lee Kang-in is brilliant enough to emerge as an “ace” in the Clinsman team. He reported his A-match debut goal in the match against Tunisia in October, and scored four goals and four assists in four consecutive games. The defense, where Kim Min-jae is at the center, is also as strong as a “wall” as it has continued its scoreless streak in the last six games.