Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Shin Tae-yong claimed concentration was the key to his side’s 1-0 win over Jordan as Korea Republic advanced to the semi-finals of the AFC U23 Championship and, in turn, kept their Olympic dream alive.
Moon Chang-jin’s first half goal was the difference between the teams and means the Koreans will face Qatar in the semi-finals, with the winner sealing a berth in Rio de Janeiro as well as advancing to the final.
“I always thought these kind of games in the knockout stages would be tough and tonight was the most difficult we have played,” said Shin (pictured). “We showed a good performance in the first half but we had a tough game in the second half.
“Jordan had to push up because it was the knockout stage, they had to win we had to win, but we didn’t lose our concentration and that’s why we won tonight.”
The Koreans took the lead in the 23rd minute when Moon placed his right-foot shot into the bottom corner of Noureddin Ateyah’s goal as Shin’s team dominated the opening 45 minutes.
But it was a different story in the second half as the Jordanians pushed for the equaliser they needed to stay alive in the competition.
Jamal Ahmad’s side held the upper hand for much of the period, but despite being on top they were unable to find the goal that would take the game into extra time.
“In the first half we had a really good performance and the way we played in the first half, it was the way I wanted us to play,” said Shin. “But in the second half the Jordan players were mentally ready because they knew if they lost they would have to go home.
“We lost concentration because of their strong pressure. Our players are really young and they had to handle that pressure and that’s why we had a tough game in the second half.
“But since we didn’t allow the equaliser this will be a very good experience for our players and we have been able to stay alive in the tournament.”
Match report: Korea Republic 1-0 Jordan
Ahmad was left frustrated at his team’s inability to level the scores, but despite exiting the tournament the coach was hopeful his players would go on to make their mark for the senior team in the future.
“The Jordanian team played with the same level as we did in the three group games,” said Ahmad. “The players were exhausted, both physical and mentally and they were under so much pressure. The Korean team were very strong and well organised. We had many chances, but we couldn’t find the way to score any goals.
“But I’m very satisfied with my team, we have qualified from a very strong group consisting of Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam and we have proven we have a very strong team, a tough team that we can build on for the future of Jordanian football.
“We don’t want to go backwards, we want go to forward, to be the main core for the national team and to be the future for Jordanian football.”
Photo: AFC