Is Korea Another Extraordinary Scapegoat

The South Korean national team (23rd in the FIFA rankings), led by coach Jürgen Klinsmann, will play Saudi Arabia (56th) in the round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup at Education City Stadium in Alayyan, Qatar, at 1 a.m. on the 31st (Korea time).

“Underdog” has already occurred since the round of 16 at the Asian Cup. Tajikistan (106th in the FIFA rankings) shot down the United Arab Emirates (64th in the FIFA rankings) after a penalty shootout, while Jordan (87th in the FIFA rankings) defeated Iraq (63rd in the FIFA rankings) by 3-2.

The representative representation of the objective power difference is the “Pipa Ranking”, which is unusual among teams with dozens of steps difference.

Saudi Arabia was once a powerhouse in Asia. Korea won in 1984, 1988, and 1996, and was runner-up in 1992, 2000, and 2007. Korea was once considered an “absolute powerhouse” in Asia.

However, the team collapsed afterwards. The team was eliminated in the group league in 2011 and 2015, and was eliminated in the round of 16 in the previous competition. The team also suffered poor performances at the West Asian Championship, the Arabian Gulf Cup, and the Arab Cup.

As such, it is clear that Korea is more dominant in the group stage, but it is worrisome to see. Korea had a 2-2 draw with Jordan (87th in the FIFA rankings) and a 3-3 draw with Malaysia ( 130th in the FIFA rankings). Korea’s performance was disastrous and defense was particularly unstable. It was almost overshadowed that Korea was considered the “top contender” before the event. In contrast, Saudi Arabia ranked No. 1 in its group with two wins and one draw.

The U.S. media outlet CBS Sports predicted a match between Korea and Saudi Arabia, and raised Saudi Arabia’s hand. “Korea is showing signs of instability, while Saudi Arabia is strong and difficult to overcome. It is hard to expect a multiple-score score from Roberto Mancini’s team, but it is not surprising to see a narrow victory over Klinsmann’s team. Saudi Arabia 1-0 Korea,” the media wrote. 안전놀이터

Saudi Arabia cannot be ignored, but the prospect of not winning against Saudi Arabia is very humiliating. If Korea fails to pass the round of 16, it will inevitably be criticized.