2nd place in group? Confrontation against Japan, Iran, and Qatar becomes easier

Ranking 1st in the group is disadvantageous in terms of physical strength allocation and warning management.

Son Heung-min happy with his colleagues

The match between Jordan and Korea in the second match of Group E of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup held at the Assumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 20th (local time).Son Heung-min celebrates with his teammates after scoring the opening goal with a penalty kick.

Will second place in the group be a blessing in disguise?

The Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, is ranked second in Group E of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup group stage on the 22nd.

Korea won 3-1 in the first game against Bahrain on the 15th and drew 2-2 in the second game against Jordan on the 20th. Korea recorded 1 win and 1 draw and accumulated 4 points, one goal behind leader Jordan (4 points). We lost by the difference in goals and losses.

Although there is still the final match remaining, the trend is quite different from the original expectation that the team would easily take first place in Group E, which includes Jordan, Bahrain, and Malaysia, and advance through the group stage.

National team players taking a team photo

National team players prior to the start of the match between Jordan and Korea in the second match of Group E of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup held at the Assumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 20th (local time) Taking photos.

Looking at the status of each group’s ranking table, it appears that advancing to the round of 16 in second place in the group will be more advantageous for Korea, which is attempting to regain the top spot in the Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years since 1960.

The runner-up in Group E is highly likely to meet only Australia among the strong contenders for the championship (Japan, Iran, Australia) until the semifinals.

First of all, if Korea ranks second in Group E, it will face the first place in Group F for the first time in the tournament.

In Group F, Saudi Arabia (6 points) and Thailand (4 points) are ranked 1st and 2nd.

Saudi Arabia and Thailand are ranked 56th and 113th, respectively, in the FIFA rankings.

Saudi Arabia is attempting to win the Asian Cup for the fourth time in history, but it is not a ‘strong candidate’ as mentioned in this tournament, and Thailand is far behind in its objective power.

If they pass the round of 16, they will likely face Australia in the quarterfinals.

However, if Korea passes the group stage as first place in the group, it will face a burdensome schedule of playing Korea-Japan matches starting from the round of 16.

The 1st place in Group E and the 2nd place in Group D will meet in the round of 16, and the 2nd place in Group D is expected to be Japan.

In this tournament, if the points are the same, the group rankings are determined by first considering the opposing records between the teams. Japan (3 points) suffered a shock 1-2 loss to Iraq (6 points) in the second game, so there is a possibility of topping the group. This has completely disappeared.

Even if they defeat Japan after a bloody battle and advance to the quarterfinals, there is a high possibility that they will face their ‘difficult enemy’ Iran.

Iran (21st) has the second highest FIFA ranking among participating countries in this tournament, after Japan (17th).

Moreover, Korea recorded 10 wins, 10 draws, and 13 losses against Iran.

In the last 4 international matches, they are undefeated in 4 games (1 win, 3 draws), but Iran is still a difficult opponent.

If they get past Iran and advance to the semifinals, they are expected to face Qatar, the host country and defending champion.

Qatar, ranked 58th in the FIFA rankings, has already confirmed its first place in Group A and advancement to the round of 16, and plans to fully prepare for the tournament by managing the stamina and warnings of its main players in the third game.

With the Korea-Japan match in the round of 16, Iran in the quarterfinals, and Qatar in the semifinals, it appears that the top spot in Group E will face a thorny path. 토토사이트 추천