Discussions

Nine years ago on Jan. 31, 2015, South Korea's national soccer team captain Son Heung-min (32, Tottenham) lay on the pitch at Suncorp Stadium in Sydney, Australia, and covered his face with his hands, tears streaming down the side of his face. On that day, South Korea faced Australia in the 2015 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup final. Down 0-1 at the end of regulation, Son Heung-min scored a dramatic equalizer in the first minute of second-half stoppage time, only to concede again in the first 15 minutes of extra time to lose 2-1.

After the game, Son Heung-min, who played the full 120 minutes despite a cold, said, "I felt sorry for my brothers, sorry for the fans, and especially sorry for (Cha) Doo-ri, who is retiring for the last time in this tournament." He added, "We are still young players, so we are lacking and have a lot to learn. We will gain experience and prepare well for the next time."

True to his word, the opportunity came again. South Korea will face Australia in the Asian Cup quarterfinals on March 3 at 0:30. A chance for redemption after nine years. The 23-year-old Son Heung-min, a blue-chip prospect, has become a pillar of Korean soccer with the captain's armband. Kim Jin-soo (32, Jeonbuk) and Kim Young-kwon (34, Ulsan), who also showed their mettle nine years ago, are now veterans of the tournament. Cha Doo-ri (44), who returned his Taeguk mark shortly after playing in the tournament as the most senior member of the national team at the time, is currently assisting Jürgen Klinsmann (60-Germany) as the national team coach. "I hate to bring up 2015, but it hurt a lot back then. I don't want to repeat that mistake," he said.

South Korea has an all-time record of 8 wins, 11 draws and 9 losses against Australia. The teams are evenly matched in the FIFA rankings, with South Korea ranked 23rd and Australia 25th. 토토사이트 Although the Socceroos have no players who play in Europe's top five leagues (England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France), they do have a defense led by 6-foot-2 defender Harry Sauter (26, Leicester City). The Socceroos have conceded just one goal in four matches of the tournament.

Head coach Graham Arnold (61-Australia) is committed to what he calls "Arnie ball," where diligent and frequent pressure is the only way to win. They finished Group B with two wins and a draw. With only four goals in three games, they were criticized for their lack of scoring power, but they thrashed Indonesia 4-0 in the round of 16.

Arnold joked that after the quarterfinal draw was finalized, "I called Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou (59-Australia) and said, 'Do you want Son Heung-min back?'" He didn't actually call him. That's how wary he was of Son Heung-min. Postecoglou, who coaches Son at Tottenham, was in charge of Australia when they beat South Korea at the 2015 Asian Cup.

Opta, a statistical outlet, released a supercomputer analysis on Monday that gave South Korea a 47.3 percent chance of beating Australia. It was the first time during the tournament that South Korea's expected win percentage fell below 50 percent. Cho Kyu-sung (27, Mitwillan) briefly said, "We can win," when asked about Opta's odds in a pre-match press conference on Monday. Coach Klinsmann said, "If the player says so, I think so too." Commentator Han Jun-hee said, "Australia is good at coming up with customized strategies for their opponents," and added, "There is a possibility that this game will be a long one against Korea, who are very physical. It's important to get an early goal and take the lead."