Jürgen Klinsmann is on a winning streak. He was concerned about the excessive attention paid to Lee Kang-in after the comfortable win over Tunisia.
The South Korean national football team (ranked 26th in FIFA)먹튀검증, led by Klinsmann, recorded a perfect 4-0 victory over Tunisia (ranked 29th in FIFA) in the first leg of the October A match of the Hana Bank Invitational National Football Team Friendly at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Korea started with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Cho Kyu-sung started up top. Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Kang-in, and Lee Jae-sung formed the second line. Park Yong-woo and Hong Hyun-seok were in charge of the midfield. The back four consisted of Lee Ki-je, Kim Min-jae, Jung Seung-hyun, and Seol Young-woo. In goal is Kim Seung-kyu.
The reserves include Kim Jin-soo, Son Heung-min, Hong Hyun-seok, Kim Jun-hong, Lee Sun-min, Moon Sun-min, Hwang Eui-jo, Jung Woo-young, Kim Young-kwon, Kim Joo-seong, Cho Hyun-woo, Kim Tae-hwan, and Oh Hyun-gyu. Son Heung-min, who has been dealing with injury concerns at Tottenham Hotspur, started the game on the bench.
Tunisia lined up in a 3-4-3 formation. Elias Ashoury, Youssef Moussaqni, and Hannibal Mebri looked to score up front. In the midfield, Ali Maloul, Elies Skiri, Aissa Raidouni, and Wazri Keshrida held down the fort. The defense was formed by Ali Abdi, Montasar Salvi, and Yasin Meria. The goalkeeper’s gloves were worn by Aymen Dahmen.
On the bench were Mouez Hassen, Jan Valery, Ala Gram, Hamza Lafia, Anis Bensleiman, Isam Jebali, Mohamed Ali Benlomdan, Saifallah Rtaif, Haitem Zouani, Mohamed Dreger, Beshir Ben Said, Naim Sliti, and Usama Haddadi.
Despite their dominance, South Korea went into halftime scoreless. The balance was finally broken after halftime. Seven minutes into the second half, Lee Kang-In was tripped by an opponent just outside the side of the penalty box. A free kick was awarded in a threatening area. Lee stepped up to take the kick and split the goal with a precise shot aimed at the top corner of the near post.
With Son Heung-min out of the lineup, Lee stepped in as the designated free kick kicker. South Korea easily widened the gap. Once again, Lee was on his toes. In the 12th minute of the second half, Lee Kang-in calmly turned his body, created an angle, and shot to complete his multi-goal performance. The Tunisian goalkeeper didn’t even react.
It was a goal feast. In the 22nd minute of the second half, Korea won a corner. Lee Kang-in sent a cross into the box. Kim Min-jae attempted a header that hit Maria and went in for a goal. Korea took off Cho Kyu-sung and Hwang Hee-chan and brought on Hwang Eui-jo and Jung Woo-young.
Lee Soon-min and Kim Tae-hwan came on for Korea, who celebrated just before the end. In second-half stoppage time, Hwang Ui-jo found the back of the net on a one-on-one opportunity after a successful line break. From Lee Kang-in’s multi-goal performance to Hwang Ui-jo’s late winner, South Korea had the perfect victory.
After the game, Klinsmann said, “I’m very happy and it feels good. Before we got to the stadium, I said, ‘If we show what we’ve been showing on the training field for the last three days, we’ll get a good result.’ Today it was exactly right. The players gave everything on the pitch and were stronger than their opponents in one-on-one situations. I’m happy with the win because I think we’ve improved from game to game and the players realized, ‘This is how good we can be, this is how good we are,'” he said.
On Son Heung-min, who was benched today, he said, “I’m glad we were able to give him a rest. His muscles weren’t 100%, and it was too much for him to play the last two weeks. But I can’t help it. Every player wants to play. I had a strong will to play today, but my physical condition is the most important thing. There is the Asian Cup, but there is also the World Cup. We need a healthy Son Heung-min. We are fortunate to be able to give him a break.”
Kim Min-jae, who led the team as captain in Son’s absence, was also impressive. “He’s a ready-made leader,” Klinsmann said. It’s not just about what you do on the field, but what you do off the field as well. He’s a great example for the younger players. We need leaders like him. Kim Min-jae and Son Heung-min are leaders who will play a pivotal role in the team. Actually, there are many leaders (in the national team). Lee Jae-sung, who doesn’t talk much, and Hwang Hee-chan are maturing. These leaders are really important. The important thing is that we are improving as a team. We received a report that Hwang In-beom was not feeling well during the warm-up. I replaced him with Hong Hyun-seok at the last minute and told him, ‘No one expected you, but you have to show what you have,’ and he did. If the juniors can show like they did today when the seniors were injured, I think we can continue to improve on our journey to the Asian Cup.”
A fantastic free-kick wonder goal. And a calmly executed multi-goal performance. It’s no exaggeration to say that Lee Kang-in was the star of the show. “PSG have proved themselves by signing him,” Klinsmann said. I think it opens a new chapter for him. No other competition can compare to the UEFA Champions League (UCL). He competes on the biggest stage in the world and plays for the best team in the world. He plays for a team that puts him under pressure every day. I think he grows and develops in that. I hope it’s an opportunity for him to step up,” he said.
He added: “It’s strange because I’ve never experienced cheering for one player so intensely. But I don’t know if this will help Lee Kang-in. He’s treated like a celebrity, not a player. Celebrities don’t score goals. For him to grow, he needs an environment where he can be humble, hungry, and focused on soccer. Of course, the coaches have to help, including me. The same goes for the club team, where he spends a lot of time. It’s always fun to play with Lee Kang-in. He always has a smile on his face. I’m really happy that he showed a good performance today. I want to praise him for showing his hunger and desire for soccer on the pitch, and I think that’s important for his development.”
There was also talk of midfield combinations. Jung “Big Woo-young” Woo-young is an option to bring stability to the midfield. “For Jung Woo-young, we’re still checking his performance,” Klinsmann said. For Park Yong-woo, we’re calling him up for the first time, giving him playing time and seeing how he develops. So far, so good. The one thing we’re missing is Son Jun-ho. He’s a player who can play in the number six and number eight roles. When you have four players in front of you, you need two players at the back to hold up. That’s where we need him. Hopefully, we’ll have some positive news from China as soon as possible.”
“The first half wasn’t bad,” Klinsmann concluded. We just lacked detail in the box. We had a few shots, but they weren’t on target. Before the second half, I emphasized, ‘We need to maintain our first-half performance, but we need to be a little more bold and aggressive,’ and ‘We need to utilize the space in the back to break down their back five.’ Lee Kang-in played in the center and shook the opponent’s midfield and won a free kick. I asked the players to be a little more aggressive and aggressive. They did a good job with that. The most important thing in a top-level match is mental strength. The physicality and technique are all perfect. It’s important to instill mental strength. The most important thing is that the players enjoy themselves on the court and have fun. I could see that he was having a lot of fun, and that’s when you give 100 percent. The same goes for the coaches. It’s our job to make them give 100 percent no matter what. I’m happy with that,” he concluded the press conference.
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