Unexpectedly, Jordan has emerged as the first finalist in the Asia Cup. In the semi-finals on Tuesday, Jordan won 2-0 (0-0) against South Korea, securing their place in the final. They will face either Iran or hosts Qatar in the final match, which will be held in Doha on coming Saturday. The South Koreans, under the guidance of Jürgen Klinsmann and his assistant coach Andreas Herzog, will unfortunately exit the tournament with a sense of bitter disappointment. The goals for Jordan were scored by Yazan Al-Naimat (53rd) and Musa Al-Taamari (66th), who showcased their skills with a solo run in Al-Rayyan.
Jordan, ranked at number 87 in the FIFA global rankings, has made history by reaching beyond the quarter-finals of the continental tournament for the first time since its inception in 1956. Their victory against the Koreans, who showed a weak performance, was well-deserved. Unlike in their previous knockout matches where they managed to scrape through into extra time twice during stoppage time, this time the star strikers of the Korean team, including Son Heung-Min, were unable to respond to the deficit.
Increased Criticism directed towards Klinsmann
South Korea’s hope for a third title win at the continental championship will continue to be deferred. It is anticipated that the criticism directed towards Klinsmann, which was vocalized even before the tournament commenced, will only intensify after this defeat. Klinsmann, who failed to secure a win in any of his first five games with the national team, had already faced criticism prior to the tournament. His preference for spending more time abroad than in South Korea was viewed unfavorably, a sentiment that was also echoed during his tenure as the German national coach. The overall performance of the South Korean team under his supervision has been less than impressive, with only one win out of five tournament games in regular time.
