Team Korea earns 6th consecutive A-match win against Iraq

The South Korean national football team, aiming to win the Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years, has earned its sixth A-match win by winning the last official game before the competition.

The South Korean team led by Jurgen Klinsmann beat Iraq in a warm-up match held at NYU Abu Dhabi Stadium in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, with Lee Jae-sung scoring the first goal.

The team started the game with its key members playing in European teams, including captain Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Kang-in, and Kim Min-jae, sitting on the bench. There were several chances for the South Korean team, including front-line attacker Oh Hyeon-gyu’s shooting attempt following Lee Ki-je’s cross in the 23rd minute of the first half. Lee Jae-sung successfully scored a goal with a left-foot mid-range shoot outside of the penalty box in the 40th minute of the first half. This was his first A-match goal since the final preliminary match for the FIFA Qatar World Cup in November 2021. His shot back then was also against Iraq.

The team’s manager Klinsmann introduced the team’s main attackers, Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, Hwang Hee-chan, and Cho Gue-sung, as well as central defender Kim Min-jae, in the second half of the game to earn more goals without much success. While the South Korean team has maintained its winning streak without losing goals, its goal success rate against Iraq, which is ranked far lower than South Korea in the FIFA ranking, was disappointing.

The South Korean team will continue its training in Abu Dhabi before going to Qatar, where the Asian Cup will be held on Wednesday. Then, the team will play Asian Cup group matches against Group E – Bahrain on January 15, Jordan on January 20, and Malaysia on January 25. Jordan beat Qatar, the host and the defending champion of the Asian Cup, in a warm-up match on Saturday with a score of 2-1. Jordan will have another warm-up match against Japan on Tuesday.


Hong-Gu Kang windup@donga.com