Jordan on Tuesday overpowered South Korea and a “devastated” Son Heung-min 2-0 to reach their first Asian Cup final.
Playing in the semi-finals for the first time and ranked 64 places below their opponents, Jordan fully deserved their victory over Jurgen Klinsmann’s shell-shocked side. South Korea failed to have a shot on target and their talisman Son apologized afterward, as his country’s wait for a first Asian Cup since 1960 goes on.
Jordan deservedly went ahead soon after the break, with Yazan al-Naimat scoring his third goal of the tournament after South Korea gave the ball away cheaply.
Photo: Reuters
They had been in a losing position in four of their matches in Qatar, but there was no way back this time for the South Koreans when Mousa al-Tamari sliced his way through their defense 13 minutes later. South Korea simply could not handle the lively attacking duo of al-Naimat and al-Tamari.
“Actually I was dreaming about this tournament before, when I was in France,” said the 26-year-old al-Tamari, who plays for Montpellier Herault in France and was named man of the match.
“It means everything to me to be in the final and I hope we can do it in the final,” he added, having also set al-Naimat up for the first goal. “It’s also good to be in the final because it will make everyone speak about my country in France and this is very emotional for me.”
South Korea’s skipper and Tottenham Hotspur ace Son stood alone with his hands on his hips at the final whistle.
“Very disappointing, devastated about this result,” the 31-year-old told beIN Sports. “We were a little bit nervous — the guys did not want to make a mistake.”
South Korea’s late comebacks at the Asian Cup had earned them the tag of playing “zombie football” after they always came back to life when they appeared dead, but it could also describe how they stumbled and eventually fell in the semi-final.
South Korea rode their luck when they scored goals after the 90th minute in four straight matches, with late strikes in the last 16 and quarter-finals forcing extra-time against Saudi Arabia and Australia respectively.
South Korea began their campaign as one of the pre-tournament favorites, but the team made up of several Europe-based players led by Son were second best on Tuesday, as Jordan extended the east Asian side’s 64-year trophy drought.
“I am really sorry to our supporters,” a dejected Son said. “We all did our best, but we’re really sorry that our mistakes led to this kind of result.”
South Korea’s fatigue after twice going to extra-time worked in Jordan’s favor, but the manner in which the Middle Eastern side dismantled their opponents was solid proof that Hussein Ammouta’s well-drilled team had done their homework.
For all the talent at Klinsmann’s disposal, his team seemed less than the sum of their parts, conceding in every single game, while their attack relied on flashes of individual brilliance.
It was primarily their resilience and fitness, the energy to keep going when their opponents began to tire, that dragged South Korea into the semi-final.
They had no answer to Jordan’s constant press, while Son was once again stifled to finish the tournament without a goal from open play.
“I have no regrets, I was giving everything,” he said. “It was a really tough competition. The level of Asian football is getting higher.”
Klinsmann has been an unpopular appointment for many fans in South Korea, and although he took responsibility for their exit, he did not offer to resign amid pressure and criticism.
The German has been questioned constantly about his demeanor in the dugout and for smiling when things went awry.
He was questioned again after he was seen smiling as he shook hands with Ammouta and congratulated the Jordan team, who he said deserved to go through to the final.
“For me it’s normal to congratulate the other team and the coach when they were better. It’s a sign of respect,” he said. “If you say I shouldn’t smile, then we have different approaches.”
“I am very disappointed, I’m angry because we should have done better tonight. I’m certainly not walking around tonight now and smiling, but there are reasons why we lost this game and we should accept that,” he said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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