A close match that almost became a ‘disaster’ ‘AG Duo’ Lee Kang-in and Jung Woo-young prevented defeat
On the 25th, at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, a somewhat ‘shocking’ draw was recorded in Korean soccer .In the final third match of Group E of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, which is competing with the goal of winning, it was tied 3-3 with Malaysia, which is considered the weakest among the participating countries .Malaysia is ranked 130th in the FIFA rankings, which is a whopping 107 notches lower than Korea (23rd), and Korea is far ahead in their previous record against Korea with 26 wins, 12 draws, and 8 losses .Before this year, Malaysia had only participated in the Asian Cup finals three times, winning only once in 1980. In this tournament, they had already suffered consecutive losses in the previous two games, preventing them from advancing to the round of 16. It was an opponent who knew us better than anyone else as it was led by coach Kim Pang-gon, who served as the chairman of the Korea Football Association’s Strengthening Committee, but it was clearly disappointing for Korea that this result was achieved even after using most of the key European players, led by Son Heung-min (Tottenham). am.
They even scored one goal in the first half, then gave up consecutive goals in the 6th and 17th minutes of the second half, allowing a comeback, and they were dragged around for a long time and almost lost. The last time Korea lost to Malaysia was 39 years ago, in March 1985, in the 1986 Mexico World Cup qualifying match (0-1 loss) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia .It was Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), who was solidifying his presence as an ‘ace’ in this tournament, who saved Klinsmann-ho, who had been unable to turn his onslaught into goals after a comeback, from the brink of defeat .In the 38th minute of the second half, Lee Kang-in took the free kick from behind the penalty arc and aimed for the goal with a powerful left-footed shot. Although it was recorded as an own goal as the ball passed through the goalpost and the hand of opposing goalkeeper Hazumi Saihan, it was a scene where Lee Kang-in’s unique left foot shined.
Lee Kang-in also recorded an assist with a sharp corner kick when Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart) scored the first goal in the 21st minute of the first half of the day .Jung Woo-young, who jumped up and accurately received the corner kick with his head, won a gold medal with Lee Kang-in on the national team at the Hangzhou Asian Games held last fall. Jung Woo-young, who showed off his never-before-seen goal scoring ability at the Asian Games and became the top scorer with 8 goals, did not get many opportunities to play for his team or national team A, but after quietly preparing, he regained his decisiveness in his first starting game at the Asian Cup. The ‘young blood’ who took the lead in Korea’s conquest of Asia’s summit at the Asian Games left a small glimmer of hope amidst the national team’s poor performance at the Asian Cup .In an interview with a broadcaster after the game, Jung Woo-young said, “In every game, coach (Jurgen Klinsmann) emphasizes the offensive part, and I tried to help the team today in that regard. “I will 슬롯게이밍 prepare well and work hard to show a good performance,” he said.