Oct. 1, 9 p.m. quarterfinal kickoff
Reporter Kim Do-yong = South Korean soccer’s bid for a third consecutive Asian Games gold medal faces its toughest opponent yet in the quarterfinals. It’s the tournament hosts, China, who play a tough brand of soccer.
Hwang Sun-hong’s men will take on the Chinese at Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China, on October 1 at 9 p.m. for a spot in the semifinals.
South Korea cruised to the quarterfinals on the back of an offensive explosion that saw them score a whopping 21 goals in their last four games. They conceded their first goal of the tournament in their Round of 16 match against Kyrgyzstan on July 27 and struggled until the final 25 minutes, but they stayed focused and cruised to a 5-1 victory to advance to the quarterfinals.
It’s been a good story and a good result so far, but the quarterfinals are no different.
Korea will be facing China, the hosts of the tournament, who will be backed by the one-sided support of their home fans. Chinese soccer fans have been cheering for Korea’s opponents in this tournament, but now they’ll be cheering for their own team.
In particular, the quarterfinal match between Korea and China will be held on October 1, which is the biggest national holiday in China, and is expected to be packed. This is one of the variables that South Korea will have to overcome.
Another concern for South Korea is the lack of video assistant referees (VARs) at the tournament. The organizers have decided not to introduce video assistant referees for football and baseball at the Games.
This is an onerous condition for South Korea against China. China harassed South Korea in their two exhibition games in June with hard tackles and rough play. The Chinese rough play resulted in injuries to Cho Young-wook (Gimcheon) and Ko Young-joon (Pohang).
In their round of 16 match against Qatar, China also harassed their opponents with a number of rough plays, en route to a 1-0 victory.
South Korea will also need time to adjust to the new stadium. After opening the tournament, South Korea played four matches at Jinhua Stadium in Jinhua from the group stage to the round of 16. However, from the quarterfinals onward, the tournament will be played in Hangzhou, giving Korea time to adjust to the new venue.카지노사이트
What’s more, Hwang Sun-hong is scheduled to change venues on the 28th, which could mean a long bus ride. According to the Korea Football Association (KFA), it’s a two-hour drive from the old stadium to the new one, and with a holiday coming up, traffic jams are expected.
While South Korea has its own variables to worry about, China has its own concerns. They will be without two of their key players for the quarterfinals, leaving them with a weakened squad.
China’s wild card, defender Gao Tianyi, is unavailable due to accumulated cautions. In addition, star defender Zhang Xionglong will not play against South Korea after he was sent off in the last minute of the Qatar match after colliding with an opponent. China will be without two of their key defenders and will have to deal with a firepowered Korea side.
South Korea, on the other hand, has no disciplinary absentees, with Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) returning to form and Song Min-gyu (Jeonbuk) getting more and more playing time after missing the first part of the tournament with a muscle injury.