Klinsmann says latest Korean rally showed team's character
Korea head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, left, and his assistant coach Andreas Herzog celebrate their team's 2-1 win over Australia in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, on Feb. 2. Yonhap
When it comes to staging late comebacks at the ongoing Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar, Korea never seem to run out of magic. And head coach Jurgen Klinsmann believes these improbable wins have shown the true character of his players.
Korea rallied for a 2-1 victory over Australia in the quarterfinals at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, south of Doha, Friday. They were three minutes away from having their title hopes evaporate, before Hwang Hee-chan scored a penalty to pull his side level at 1-1. Captain Son Heung-min scored a decisive free kick goal during extra time to lift the Taegeuk Warriors into the last four.
Just three days earlier, Korea had also needed a late equalizer to force extra time against Saudi Arabia in the round of 16. They then prevailed 4-2 on penalties.
Klinsmann said he wasn't surprised at all by the tight battle, especially at this stage of the tournament.
"We showed fantastic spirit, character, and energy again to come back and turn it around," the coach said in a televised interview with Korea's tvN Sports. "I am super, super proud of every single player, even the players that didn't play, because it was a performance done by the entire team. They badly wanted to win this game. When captain Sonny scored the free kick, we thought we were going to take this home."
In another interview with beIN SPORTS, Klinsmann said his team is ready to keep on rolling.
"We've had so many difficult games in this tournament already but we believe we can go all the way through," he said. "We have this dream that we want to go all the way and win this tournament."
Jordan will be the next hurdle for Korea to clear as they try to win their first Asian Cup title since 1960. Jordan held Korea to a 2-2 draw during group play, Jan. 20, with a late own goal by Jordan allowing Korea to salvage a point.
Klinsmann predicted "another nailbiter" against Jordan on Tuesday.
"We respect them a lot. They played very, very well against us," he said. "Now, we're hungry for more." (Yonhap)
Korea's head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, left, embraces Hwang Hee-chan after Korea's 2-1 win over Australia in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, Feb. 2. Yonhap