The keyword for the semifinals that will determine the fate of the finals is likely to be the condition of Jordan's 'ace' Moussa al-Tamari (Montpellier).
Korea, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, will face 'Middle East ambush' Jordan in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, at midnight on the 7th (Korean time).
Korea ranks 23rd in the FIFA rankings, and Jordan ranks only 87th. In terms of objective power, Korea is ahead. Among the teams that reached the semifinals, Jordan's FIFA ranking is the lowest. There is no experience of winning the Asian Cup. This is the first time this tournament has advanced to the semifinals. Korea won the Asian Cup for the first time in 1956 and the second time in 1960. Aiming for the top spot on the Asian stage for the first time in 64 years. Jordan is attempting to win its first ever championship.
Jordan completed team training in preparation for the semifinal match with Korea on the 4th. However, the team's core member, Altamari, was not visible. It is reported that while other Jordanian players came to the training ground to warm up in the chilly weather, he engaged in personal training alone indoors. Recently, there was news that Altamari was injured, but there is a possibility that his condition is not at 100% yet. Since he is the team's ace, one way is to focus on recovery rather than training too hard.
It seems important to see how well Altamari recovers by the semifinals. Altamari is Jordan's key ace. ‘Golden talent’ Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) is playing as a starter in Montpellier in the French league. He plays as a right-wing striker, beating prominent players, and has scored 3 goals and 1 assist in 16 games this season.
He scored 2 goals in this Asian Cup. Altamari scored multiple goals against coach Kim Pang-gon's Malaysia in the first match of the group stage. He also played in the second match of the group stage against Korea. At that time, Alta Mari was unable to accumulate attack points, but he constantly shook his side and harassed Korea. In the game against Korea, Altamari took two shots and three dribble breakthroughs. Footmob, a statistical media, also gave Altamari a good rating of 7.5. We know how scary Altamari is, so we need to be careful in this semifinal match.
In particular, Korea's 'monster defender' Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) was suspended due to accumulated warnings. He cannot play against Jordan in the semifinals. In a situation where defensive power is weakened, even Altamari may have a hard time finding 100% condition. France24 also analyzed the Asian Cup semifinal matches and was worried that “Korea’s key defender Kim Min-jae will miss the game due to suspension.”
The role of the left side defender in charge of Altamari is also important. There are many options. First, Seol Young-woo (Ulsan HD) showed a good performance on the tournament stage. He played as Klinsmann's right fullback, but was moved to the left due to the team's many injuries. He received a passing grade, leading Korea to advance to the semifinals. However, Lee Ki-je (Suwon Samsung) and Kim Jin-soo (Jeonbuk Hyundai), who were injured, have also recovered and are participating in team training. Coach Klinsmann may bring up another option.
After the group stage, Korea and Jordan produced a famous match in the tournament. Korea achieved two thrilling comeback wins and succeeded in advancing to the semifinals. Both the round of 16 match against Saudi Arabia and the quarterfinal match against Australia scored dramatic equalizers just before the end of the second half. In the round of 16, ‘Handsome Hero’ Cho Gyu-seong (Midtjylland) scored an equalizer with a header in the 54th minute of the second half. We continued the momentum and won the penalty shootout. In the quarterfinals, ‘Captain’ Son Heung-min (Tottenham) scored a penalty kick in the 51st minute of the second half, and then Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) scored the equalizing goal. In extra time, Son Heung-min scored the winning goal from a free kick.
Jordan defeated 'difficult enemy' Iraq in the round of 16. It was a dramatic turnaround as they scored two goals in extra time in the second half. In the quarterfinals, they defeated Tajikistan, another sensational team, 1-0.
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