The South Korean Olympic team defeated Thailand 1-0 in the first leg of their 2024 West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Championship match at Al Fateh Stadium in Al Mubaraj, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday (Jan. 21) thanks to a first-half injury-time goal from left back Cho Hyun-taek. The win sets up a quarterfinal clash with Saudi Arabia, who defeated Jordan on penalties. The hosts won 2-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Jordan.
South Korea fielded a full complement of Europeans, including Yang Hyun-joon (Celtic), Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), and Kim Min-woo (Düsseldorf), as well as regulars Hwang Jae-won (Daegu), Kim Jung-hoon (Jeonbuk), and Son Seong-kwan (Bucheon). In the second half, they even brought in Bae Junho (Stoke City), who has been on a recent upswing. 스포츠토토 South Korea pushed Thailand, who were one-dimensional throughout the match. However, the finishing was lacking. They lacked sophistication in attack.
In first-half stoppage time, Cho Hyun-taek decided the game. Cho Hyun-taek moved to the center and received a 2-on-1 pass from Kang Hyun-mook (Gimcheon). Kang’s sensible lobbing pass to Cho Hyun-taek gave him a chance to take on the keeper, and he neatly finished the ball for the winning goal. Cho Hyun-taek previously scored his first goal for Korea in September 2022 in an exhibition match against Uzbekistan.
Hwang Sun-hong took over as interim head coach of the A team after Jürgen Klinsmann was fired.
In Hwang’s absence, the team will be led by head coach Myung Jae-yong for the WAFF U-23 Championship. The tournament is the final tune-up before the U-23 Asian Cup in Qatar in April, which is the final qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. South Korean soccer will be looking to qualify for its 10th consecutive Olympic Games.
The WAFF U-23 Championship will be held in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, from June 18-26. Eight nations, including South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq, Australia, Thailand, and Egypt, will compete. Each team will play three matches in the tournament. The tournament will be a quarterfinal format, with the winners and losers playing each other to determine the rankings from first to eighth. Based on the draw, 바카라사이트 추천 South Korea will open the tournament on Tuesday against Thailand. Depending on the outcome of the Thailand match, they will play the winner or loser of the Saudi-Jordan match on the 23rd and the final ranking match on the 26th.