You should probably go back to bed, and I should probably wrap this blog up. Commiserations to Socceroos fans, and thanks for your company throughout their campaign; congratulations to South Korea’s unconquerable optimists. Bye!
It must be a weird experience preparing a composite image like this ahead of a game you are desperate for your country to win.
It wasn’t the the ending we imagined or wanted.
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) February 2, 2024
Thank you Australia for your support throughout the @afcasiancup! 💚💛#Socceroos #AsianCup2023 #DifferentBreed pic.twitter.com/jlpfKWqdO5
South Korea’s run in this tournament is starting to evoke Ken Doherty’s run to the final of the 2003 World Snooker Championship. In the sphere of dramatic comebacks, there’s no higher praise than that.
✨ 𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐈-𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐒 ✨
— #AsianCup2023 (@afcasiancup) February 2, 2024
❗Never. Say. Never. They just keep on doing it!
🇰🇷 Korea Republic are heading into the semi-finals. #AsianCup2023 | #HayyaAsia pic.twitter.com/HYkE3BBBMV
Match report: Australia 1-2 South Korea (aet)
Updated
By the end, all the key stats were in South Korea’s favour
Possession 73-27
Shots on target 9-5
Goals 2-1
But most of those shots on target came in extra time when Australia had nothing left. Had Australia won 1-0 or 2-0 it would have been a textbook rope-a-dope victory.
“Although Arnie’s decision to bring on Miller proved catastrophic, it was his faith in the normally reliable twin pillars of Duke and Souttar that did for him in the end,” says Chris Paraskevas. “While Souttar was desperately nursed back to match fitness, it was perhaps 45 minutes too late, his legs giving way a little early tonight. The preference for Duke was understandable - strong, selfless, good in the air - but he looked out of sorts in this tournament (and especially tonight) and isn’t mobile or clinical enough. Aa penny for Jamie McClaren’s thoughts.
“Maybe this is the game that epitomised the positives and limitations of Arnold’s tactical style: his Socceroos will always give you a game, but when required... they simply aren’t set-up to run the game. Nonetheless... you feel for him.”
Quite. Despite watching all five games in this tournament, I still don’t know whether he’s shackling a potentially good team or getting the best out of a limited one. I guess we’ll find out under the next manager.
Craig Goodwin, whose fine volley put Australia ahead, gives his reaction
It’s pure disappointment at the moment. We’re one minute away from going through. We had chances to put the game away in the second half; there were a few times we should have scored the second goal. There’s nothing but disappointment at the moment. To be honest, I don’t know what to say.
Korea are a great team with great players and we gave them opportunities from set-pieces that we didn’t need to. For [Lewis Miller], it’s a learning curve – not just for him, for anyone. He’s unlucky to give away the penalty, because I thought it was one that could have gone the other way. It’s done now. We’re disappointed and that’s it.
When the immediate pain starts to abate, Australia will reflect on a strange tournament. They were never convincing in attack, yet they were two minutes of injury-time away from reaching a very winnable semi-final.
South Korea will play Jordan in the semi-final after another improbable comeback. The Australian players look devastated: they gave everything they had, and it was this close to being enough. But Son Heung-min - who is on his haunches, haemorrhaging tears of joy - bent the game to his will and his skill. He forced an injury-time penalty, converted nervelessly by Hwang Hee-chan, and scored the winner in extra-time with a majestic free-kick.
Full time: Australia 1-2 South Korea
It’s over.
120+1 min Hong shoots over from 15 yards, then Jeong Seung-hyeon comes on for the impressive Lee Kang-in.
120 min Just one minute of added time. Australia have nothing left.
119 min: Outstanding double save by Ryan! How are Australia still alive? South Korea broke four on three, with Son on the ball. He played in Seol (I think), whose stinging shot was beaten away by Ryan. leaping to his left. The ball ran loose and Ryan sprang to his feet to block the follow-up shot on the line.
118 min The outstanding left-back Seol Young-woo finds the energy to run 70 yards and kill a bit more time. Bos comes across to make a fine tackle and win a free-kick.
117 min Football is a perverse old game, so an Australian equaliser isn’t beyond the realms. But right now it looks extremely unlikely; their ten men just can’t keep the ball.
115 min Oh Hyeon-gyu fresh-airs an attempted volley from Yang Hyun-jun’s superb cross. An Australian defender, Burgess I think, did well to put him under pressure sa the ball came in.
114 min Behich is furious after being wrongly penalised for handball. He was in a decent position on the left-wing as well.
113 min: Chance for Son! South Korea break three on two, with Australia’s defenders looking very weary. It’s played to the right for Son, who drags a low shot wide of the far post from the edge of the area. For him, though not everyone, that’s a pretty good chance.
Updated
112 min “Slept through my alarm and only saw the last 15 minutes but I saw that coming from 90 minutes away,” says James Paraskevas. “Classic Graham Arnold defending on a lead. Was always going to happen? Miller thinks he’s playing for St Mirren against Falkirk on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon - what was he thinking?”
It’s easy for me to say, as I’m not invested, but if Miller doesn’t make that tackle or Duke scores one of his two chances, I think it would be seen as a superb performance tactically – an homage to those old Mourinho masterclasses.
Updated
111 min Son Heung-min, for whom the word indefatigable might have been invented – I bet he doesn’t drink Carling Black Label - whips a curler from 25 yards that is too close to Ryan.
Updated
109 min No sign of Australia generating any attacking momentum. They just haven’t recovered from the hamemr blow of Hwang’s injury-time equaliser.
108 min “Not only did Australia have 48 hours extra rest, but Korea went an extra 30 minutes on Tuesday,” says Joe Pearson. “They should be Luka Modric-level tired.”
This game has been a good advert for letting the ball do the work. The margins are gossamer-thin, though. Had Miller not made that tackle in injury time, Australia would have been deserved winners. Since then, they’ve been overwhelmed to such an extent that it’s hard to argue against South Korea being the better team overall.
107 min Australia have switched to a 4-3-2 formation with Harry Souttar in the Robert Huth role up front.
106 min Peep peep!
Double substitution for South Korea Oh Hyeon-gyu and Park Jin-seop come on for Park Yong-woo and Hwang Hee-chan.
Half time in extra time: Australia 1-2 South Korea
Australia were 1-0 up after 95 minutes of normal time. Now they are a goal and a man down after a chastening first period of extra-time. South Korea dominated throughout and took the lead through a terrific free-kick from Son Heung-min. If that was bad enough, Aiden O’Neill’s red card has left the Socceroos needing a minor miracle.
O'Neill is sent off!
105+5 min Australia are down to 10 men; Hwang pumps the air in celebration. O’Neill wasn’t happy with the yellow card, but he keeps his counsel as he walks off the field.
Updated
105+3 min It’s still being checked, and the player – it was Hwang Hee-chan – is still down. In the Premier League that would be a red card, because his studs plunged into Hwang’s ankle. The referee is going to the monitor.
105+1 min O’Neill is booked for a crunching challenge on … I’m not sure who it was actually. He won the ball but was penalised for an aggressive follow-through, and there’s a VAR check for a possible red card.
Updated
105 min Australia look broken. I really feel for Lewis Miller, who conceded the penalty and the free-kick that led to both goals.
For 90+4 minutes, Son Heung-min was a relatively peripheral figure in this game. Then he won a penalty to keep South Korea in the competition, and now he has put them in front! It was a superb free-kick, clipped over the wall towards the near post. Ryan flew across his goal and got a hand to the ball but could only help it into the net.
Could Ryan have done better? Not with the save, maybe with his positioning because it wasn’t right in the corner. But it was a beautiful free-kick, curled over the ball with enough dip to make the save extremely difficult for Ryan.
Updated
GOAL! Australia 1-2 South Korea (Son 104)
Magnificent!
Updated
102 min Miller trips Hwang just outside the area, a foul for which he might have been booked. The free-kick is a fair way to the left of centre, though not enough to rule out a shot from Son…
101 min “As a Wolves fan I’m delighted that Hwang Hee-chan put away that last-minute penalty, as I was very nervous for him when you said that he would be taking it,” writes Chris Redston. “Some fans want countries with players of their Premier League team to go out early, so they can come back to play for their clubs, but I’m delighted that Channy has kept Korea in the match and hope he goes on to score the winner in the final. He’s a lovely, humble guy and deserves all the success he can get for his country.”
The dominant attitude towards Afcon and the Asian Cup, certainly in England, has a whiff of something not entirely fragrant.
100 min Fornaroli shoves Son over after the ball has gone, just to get himself involved in the game. The pressure on Australia isas relentless as at any point in the match.
98 min “G’day Rob,” writes Andrew in Melbourne. “Woke up at the 80th minute (4am), had a sneaky glance at the score and pleasantly surprised to see Arnie ball coming up on top. Decided to keep watching your commentary, now have the adrenaline rush and won’t be able to sleep for an hour after the match eventually finishes. Why do I fall into the same trap repeatedly?”
96 min Lee Jae-sung shoots not far wide from distance. Ryan probably had it covered but it was a good effort. Australia have barely been out of their half in extra-time.
95 min: Fine double save by Ryan! Australia are hanging on. A cutback from the right is met by Hwang, who drags a crisp first-time shot towards the near post. Ryan sees it late but gets down to his left to make a superb save, then springs to his feet to block Lee Kang-in’s headed follow-up.
95 min “If the Aussies don’t prevail,” begins Peter Oh, “Miller will ‘Roo that tackle.”
94 min Australia’s formation is effectively 5-4-1, with the substitute Burgess the third centre-back. At the moment they look like a team whose ambition is a penalty competition, though that might change as extra-time develops.
93 min: Australia substitution Bruno Fornaroli replaces Mitch Duke, who missed two big chances to put Australia 2-0 up.
91 min Peep peep! Here we go (again).
Full time: Australia 1-1 South Korea
Australia were a couple of minutes away from the semi-final; now they have to win the game all over again.
To extra-time we go.#AUSvKOR #Socceroos #AsianCup2023 #DifferentBreed pic.twitter.com/KNZ2EatPDp
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) February 2, 2024
Updated
90+10 min Still no final whistle. We’re into the tenth of the seven added minutes.
90+8 min Australia had an extra 48 hours’ rest but they look more tired. I suppose that’s inevitable given how much possession South Korea have had.
GOAL! Australia 1-1 South Korea (Hwang 90+6 pen)
Hwang scores! It was a fine penalty, slammed high into the net. Ryan went the right way but couldn’t reach it. Just as in the 2015 final – and for the third time in this tournament, which is unbelievable – South Korea have equalised in added time.
Updated
90+6 min Hwang Hee-chan of Wolves will take the penalty…
Miller points to the ball but he didn’t touch it. I can’t see this being overturned. Son, so quiet until now, did really well to spin away from Souttar on the edge of the area before running at Miller. He knew the challenge was coming and got himself between the man and the ball. Miller lunged naively for the ball and kicked Son’s foot.
Updated
PENALTY TO SOUTH KOREA! Miller makes a needless tackle on Son in the area and the referee points to the spot.
90+4 min Three more minutes. Australia are on their last legs.
90+3 min Desperate clearance after desperate clearance from Australia. They’ve defended admirably, particularly in the second half, and are so close to another famous 1-0 win in Qatar.
90+1 min Either Kim Min-jae or Bos has just been booked, I’m not sure which. If it’s Kim, and I think it was, he’ll miss the semi-final one way or another.
90+1 min There will be seven minutes of added nail-munching.
90 min Son gets to the byline in the area but his low cross is too close to Ryan. That was a decent chance for Son; he couldn’t quite wrap his left foot round the ball to keep it away from Ryan.
Updated
88 min Son Heung-min has had… not a poor game, just very quiet. In truth, if it stays like Australia will be deserved winners, even if South Korea have done most of the attacking.
87 min The story of the match can be told by two statistics.
Possession: Australia 31-69 South Korea
Attempts at goal: Australia 13-2 South Korea.
Oh, and goals: Australia 1-0 South Korea.
Updated
86 min: Australia substitution A weary Martin Boyle is replaced by Cameron Burgess, which means a tactical switch from 4-2-3-1 to 9-0-0-0-0-0-0-1.
85 min: South Korea substitution Yang Hyun-jun on, Kim Tae-hwan off.
84 min: Chance for Duke! Oof, Australia so nearly clinch it on the break. Bos gallops down the left and hits an early cross that takes a deflection and kicks up towards Duke at the far post. He lunges instinctively towards the ball and heads just wide. There was a lot of the goal to aim at but not quite enough reaction time.
Updated
82 min It’s hard to know exactly what to make of this second half. On the one hand Australia have lived on the seat of their pants, with a number of desperate defensive interventions; on the other, South Korea have only had two shots on target and the best chance fell to Mitch Duke.
81 min “In fairness,” says Matthew Stephens, “Atkinson did really well.”
He did. South Korea create so many overloads in wide positions that it looks brain-meltingly difficult to play full-back against them. Atkinson was exposed at times but that’s unavoidable. And at the other end, his cross for Goodwin’s goal was superb.
80 min Ryan is receiving treatment. Lee Jae-sung accidentally kicked him in the head as they competed for the ball. But Ryan is on his feet now and looks okay to continue.
78 min Ryan dives very bravely at the feet of Lee Jae-sung, who overran the ball slightly after running onto a clever scooped pass from Lee Kang-in.
78 min: South Korea substitution Hong Hyun-seok is on Hwang In-boem.
76 min A nice effort from McGree, who runs onto a dropping ball on the edge of the area and tries to cushion a sidefoot volley over Jo. He gets a bit too much on it and the ball goes over.
While we’re on the subject of caressing the ball with the side of this foot, this goal is a thing of beauty.
Have you ever seen a bouncing ball caressed like this? 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/RHcA9fOxJ9
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 2, 2024
75 min Son plays a neat give-and-go on the left of the area, but his cutback is superbly read by Bos. That was a vital interception.
74 min Miller’s first involvement is a long throw that Duke, running away from goal at the near post, meets with a powerful header. Jo jumps to make a good two-handed save.
73 min: Australia substitutions Another stoppage, and why not. Jordy Bos and Lewis Miller replace the goalscorer Craig Goodwin and the goalmaker Nathaniel Atkinson. He looks shattered.
71 min: Australia substitutions Fresh legs in midfield: Riley McGree and Aiden O’Neill replace Connor Metcalfe and Keanu Baccus.
70 min: South Korea substitution Lee Jae-sung replaces Cho Gue-sung.
69 min: Chance for South Korea! A cross from the left is missed by Souttar, but Cho miscontrols the ball with his hand! He must have seen the ball later. A surer touch would have given him a clear shot at goal from six yards.
Updated
68 min Another dangerous cross from Seol (I think) is superbly cut out by at the near post by Souttar. He’s been outstanding, particularly in the second half.
67 min Australia are defending very deep now – I don’t think it’s a deliberate tactic, they’ve just been driven back. There have been a million crosses in the second half.
Updated
66 min One thing Australia have done very well, whether by accident or design, is keep Son Heung-min quiet. I’m surprised he hasn’t swapped places with the left-winger Hwang for a while, especially as Hwang looks more natural in a central position or on the right.
Updated
64 min “Huge question marks over Jurgen Klinsmann’s set-up here,” writes Chris Paraskevas, idly playing with his font size. “Despite the possession stats, the ‘Roos are winning the key moments in the midfield and moving the ball with purpose when they have it.
“I understand the Koreans are top-heavy in terms of talent but there’s a real lack of structure to their play. Australia by comparison are incredibly well drilled, with every player knowing their role. (For what it’s worth, I think an equaliser is still coming - too many missed chances by the ‘Roos.)
I think that’s a bit harsh – they’ve worked the space well in wide positions, particularly on the left. But I did fail by Patterns of Play degree, so what do I know.
63 min A sharp cutback from the left byline is cleared by Behich with Son waiting behind him. Moments later, Lee’s fierce cross from the left is put behind by the stretching Souttar. Australia’s defence is under increasing pressure.
60 min Korea have come from behind in their last three games, including a 99th-minute tournament saver against Saudi Arabia in the last 16, and they look increasingly menacing. Their tempo has been much better in the second half.
Seol’s deflected shot dips right under the bar and is calmly held by Ryan. Those balls can be very difficult to deal with.
57 min South Korea’s most dangerous attacks have been transitions, another of which eventually leads to a corner. Lee’s inswinger is punched away by Ryan.
56 min “Neither Duke nor Boyle looking likely,” says Matthew Stephens. “I’m pretty sure Arnie will prefer the experience of Bruno over Yengi when it comes time to substitute Duke.”
Especially if you’re still 1-0 up and he wants somebody to hold the ball up and occupy defenders.
54 min: Triple chance for Australia! Oh my word, it should be 2-0 to the Socceroos. Goodwin, on the left, curled a lovely cross to pick out the uinmarked Boyle at the far post. His first header was straight at Jo Hyeon-woo, who could only shovel the ball out in front of goal. Boyle spanked a follow-up that was brilliantly blocked by Jo and then Duke volleyed the rebound over the bar.
The ball came to Duke at an awkward height but it was still a very good chance. So were both of Boyle’s.
Updated
52 min The left-back Seol Young-woo has been South Korea’s biggest attacking threat so far. As well as those last two crosses, he was the player who made the disallowed goal for Hwang Hee-chan in the first half.
51 min Vital defending from Behich, who punches the air after booting Seol’s very dangerous cross out of play for a corner. Cho Gue-sung was waiting behind him to score.
48 min South Korea’s first shot on target. The lively left-back Seol gets forward and crosses to the far post, where Lee Kang-in controls the dropping ball before scuffing a shot straight at Ryan. He was under pressure from Behich so it wasn’t a clear chance.
46 min Peeeeeeeeeeeep peeeeeeeeeeep! Australia begin the second half, knowing that another clean sheet would put them through a semi-final against Jordan.
“It’s definitely not Angeball,” says Matt Leonard. “More like -#ArnieSecondBall.”
But it’s working. In a knockout game it’s better to be all cattle and no hat than the other way round.
Nights like tonight are what Arnieball was made for. #AUSvKOR #AsianCup2023
— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) February 2, 2024
Updated
It’s also quarter-final weekend in the Africa Cup of Nations. Luke McLaughlin is living and breathing Nigeria v Angola… so you don’t have to.
Updated
Half-time entertainment
Ange Postecoglou left FUMING after one MAJOR signing slipped away from @SpursOfficial on Deadline Day 😲
— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) February 2, 2024
🔗 https://t.co/gRMvDUNhtg pic.twitter.com/fIpm7KnOQN
Half time: Australia 1-0 South Korea
Look, in the old days this kind of performance was called a Mourinho masterclass. Australia had only 30 per cent possession but defended so well that Korea didn’t have a shot off target, never mind on.
Australia, though largely prosaic, played with more street wisdom and created what chances there were: Connor Metcalfe missed a very good opportunity, then the increasingly influential Craig Goodwin scored with a technically accomplished volley. All in all, that’s Australia’s best 45 minutes of the tournament.
45 min Souttar is booked, a little harshly, after winning a header with Cho Gue-sung. He caught him with his arm as he jumped, but at first glance it looked at most a free-kick. He might have been booked for dissent rather than the (perceived) foul. Either way, he’ll miss the semi-final if Australia get there.
44 min The diligent Boyle concedes a corner on the right, Korea’s first of the game. It’s headed away at the near post.
It stemmed from a mistake by Hwang In-boem, whose poor pass on the edge of his own area was intercepted by Goodwin. He was crowded out but Australia worked the ball across the edge of the area, waiting for an opportunity. Eventually Metcalfe played a neat through pass to the overlapping Atkinson, who stood up a first-time cross beyond the far post.
Goodwin backpedalled, waited an age for the ball to drop and then slashed a volley past Jo Hyeon-woo at the near post. That’s a really good finish, not dissimilar to his goal against Indonesisa.
GOAL! Australia 1-0 South Korea (Goodwin 42)
The trusty left foot of Craig Goodwin puts Australia ahead!
Updated
41 min This time it’s Metcalfe who has a pop from distance. It goes high over the bar but, as the Triller TV commentator says, they are getting in some decent positions.
38 min Boyle shoots from 25 yards, and immediately regrets it.
37 min This is an admirable attempt to accentuate the positive in what has been a largely uneventful first half.
34' | Intensity level 💯
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) February 2, 2024
🇦🇺 0-0 🇰🇷#AUSvKOR #Socceroos #AsianCup2023 #DifferentBreed pic.twitter.com/nhi4crNsDq
35 min Possession percentages: Australia 24-76 South Korea. It’s not Angeball… but Australia are well in the game and have had the only shot on target.
Updated
33 min This is a nervous spell for Australia, with Atkinson forced to make a good defensive header at the far post.
32 min: Hwang has a goal disallowed! It was a fine move, which ended with Hwang tapping into an empty net, but the left-back Seol Young-woo was fractionally offside in the build-up.
Updated
29 min I’m sure the decision to pick Goodwin ahead of Bos was made partially with set-pieces in mind. He takes Australia’s first corner, which is headed back to him on the left. Then he whips in a much better ball that whooshes across the face goal.
28 min “Perhaps the most familiar-sounding Australian name to fans in Korea is Baccus,” writes Peter Oh, “thanks to the popular energy drink brand Bacchus.”
For a life-affirming split-second I thought that email was going to take a detour to the Kanpur Test match of 1979.
27 min South Korea are starting to have a bit of joy down their left, a concern expressed by Matthew Stephens in the third minute. But Mat Ryan still hasn’t had a save to make, which continues a theme of the whole tournament. Australia’s opponents have had only four attempts on target in six and a half hours of football; it’s probably seven hours if you include added time.
23 min This is startting to come to life – both the quality of attacking play and the burgeoning needle.
21 min: Fine defending from Souttar! The centre-back Kim Young-gwon finds an eye in the Socceroos needle, threading a lovely disguised pass through the inside-left channel to find Hwang in the area. His first touch is slightly heavy, which allows Souttar to come across and make a vital challenge.
19 min: Chance for Metcalfe! Goodwin collects a loose ball just outside the area, shifts the ball onto his left foot and drives a deflected shot across goal. Jo-Hyeon woo dives to his left to push it away and Metcalfe knocks the rebound well wide from about 10 yards. Although it came at him quickly, that was a pretty good opportunity.
Updated
19 min “Good morning from gloomy Indianapolis, Rob!” says Joe Pearson. “Having watched both teams progress through the tournament, a Korea win seems the more likely result. They have a little better cutting edge, I think. But what do I know?”
Nothing, same as the rest of us.
17 min Metcalfe receives a square pass 25 yards from goal to the right of centre. His first touch is lovely but he drags a low shot wide of the near post with his second.
16 min Irvine catches Hwang In-beom with a high boot and then gives him a mouthful while he’s on the floor. That leads to a brief exchange of views with a mildly aghast Son Heung-min before the referee tells everyone to disperse.
Australia have had only 20 per cent possession so far.
15 min The Bayern Munich centre-back Kim Min-jae takes matters into his own hands with a barnstorming run down the right. His cross is too close to Ryan.
13 min Baccus gets a warning after flooring Hwang. I like this referee, who seemst to have a natural, relaxed authority.
12 min Australia haven’t yet offered anything in attack as yet. Jackson Irvine is playing deeper than he did in the first four games, so their formation is closer to 4-2-3-1 than 4-1-4-1.
Updated
9 min Korea are dominating the ball, which is a reversal of Australia’s first four games. They’re yet to create anything, though. This already feels like a game that could go the distance.
7 min “I’m in the US, so I watched the USA v Sweden women’s World Cup match at 2am my time,” writes Harriet Osborn. “I’d done the same thing to watch our awful draw with Portugal as well (that was boring enough I went back to bed right after!) The RO16 match was fun and exciting - it was the best the team had played the entire tournament, and my hope built through the match that we really were going to beat them this time. (Oh, right, the last time the USA women played Sweden, we lost 3-0 at the Tokyo Olympics, which I had also woken up at a horrible hour to watch!)
“It went to extra time and penalties of course, and I had entirely too much adrenaline and anger by the end to go back to sleep. Made for a rotten day after so thank goodness I was off work. Never would have thought at the start of the tournament that a RO16 match against our bogey team would merit writing in about as being “a huge match” watched in the small hours...
“What a privilege it is that US-based fans have to do this so rarely. And we complain about Premier League matches kicking off at 6:30am.”
5 min Son breaks at a backpedalling Australian defence and plays a good pass out to Hwang on the left. His low cross is booted away. It’s vital that Baccus doesn’t allow Son to find space between the lines like that.
4 min Nothing to report yet. Jurgen Klinsmann is patrolling the touchline in a black hoodie. I miss 2006.
3 min “Atkinson is a real concern defensively against the pace of South Korea,” says Matthew Stephens. “Expecting a lot of their attack to go down that side.”
2 min As expected, South Korea have reverted to a 4-2-3-1 formation.
1 min Peep peep! Korea kick off from right to left as we watch.
A reminder of the teams
Australia (4-1-4-1) Ryan; Atkinson, Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Baccus, Irvine; Boyle, Metcalfe, Goodwin; Duke.
Substitutes: Bos, Silvera, Fornaroli, Yengi, Tilio, Thomas, O’Neill, McGree, Gauci, Miller, Burgess, Yazbek.
South Korea (possible 4-2-3-1) Jo Hyeon-woo; Kim Tae-hwan, Kim Min-jae, Kim Young-gwon, Seol Young-woo; Park Yong-woo, Hwang In-beom; Lee Kang-in, Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan; Cho Gue-sung.
Substitutes: Lee Ki-je, Kim Jin-su, Hong Hyun-seok, Lee Jae-sung, Song Bum-keun, Lee Soon-min, Jeong Seung-hyeon, Park Jin-seop, Jeong Woo-yeong, Oh Hyeon-gyu, Kim Ji-soo, Yang Hyun-jun.
Referee Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman).
Both teams wearing their home kits. As it should be. #AUSvKOR #AsianCup2023
— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) February 2, 2024
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“G’day Rob,” writes Chris Paraskevas, whose love of the Socceroos and Newcastle United isn’t conducive to consistent sleep patterns. “A criminal 2.30am kick off this morning, and at such uncivilised hours one can only but think of how massive this game is to ‘Arnie’s legacy: this is literally the equivalent fixture (sort of) in which Ange Postecoglou wrote his own Subway Socceroos Legacy.
“And you know what? It’s got nothing to do with the result. Nothing to do with the performance. Nothing to do with whether that good ‘ol Aussie Fight™️ is on show.
“Legacies are all about one thing: whether your career produced a piece of Youtube High Art for generations to repeatedly digest. For Ange, we have the quintessential ‘Ange vs Craig’ video: a national cultural and sporting touchstone.
“Arnie’s equivalent? The underrated and underwatched ‘Arnie v Peacock’.”
Here come the players, all looking very business-like. For the first time in Australia’s tournament, this has the feel of a proper game.
“Hoping for a bit of quality from the Roos tonight,” writes Martin Turnbull. “A one-goal win for Oz, in normal time.”
What’s it like watching such a huge game in the small hours? The closest experience I’ve had watching the 2018 World Cup semi-final between Croatia and England at 2am in Perth, though I’ve never been that patriotic so it wasn’t the be-all and end-all.
This time, more than any other time…
Team news: Goodwin in for Bos
Graham Arnold has made four changes from the team that started against Indonesia. Gethin Jones is injured, so Nathaniel Atkinson comes in at right-back. Mitch Duke is fit to start up front in place of Bruno Fornaroli. The two injury-unrelated changes are in the attacking midfield positions: Connor Metcalfe and Craig Goodwin are preferred to Riley McGree and Jordy Bos.
South Korea have changed three players, and possibly their system, after beating Saudi Arabia on penalties. Park Yong-woo, Cho Gue-sung and Hwang Hee-chan come in for Kim Young-gwon, Lee Jae-sung and Jeong Woo-yeong
Australia (4-1-4-1) Ryan; Atkinson, Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Baccus; Boyle, Metcalfe, Irvine, Goodwin; Duke.
Substitutes: Bos, Silvera, Fornaroli, Yengi, Tilio, Thomas, O’Neill, McGree, Gauci, Miller, Burgess, Yazbek.
South Korea (possible 4-2-3-1) Jo Hyeon-woo; Kim Tae-hwan, Kim Min-jae, Kim Young-gwon, Seol Young-woo; Park Yong-woo, Hwang In-beom; Lee Kang-in, Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan; Cho Gue-sung.
Substitutes: Lee Ki-je, Kim Jin-su, Hong Hyun-seok, Lee Jae-sung, Song Bum-keun, Lee Soon-min, Jeong Seung-hyeon, Park Jin-seop, Jeong Woo-yeong, Oh Hyeon-gyu, Kim Ji-soo, Yang Hyun-jun.
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to the start of Australia’s Asian Cup campaign. Yes, I know they’re already played four games, but all things being equal they were always going to get past India, Syria, Uzbekistan and Indonesia. This match, a potential humdinger of a quarter-final against South Korea, brings a whole new level of difficulty.
It’s the tie of the round (probably) and a repeat of the 2015 final (definitely). James Troisi scored an extra-time winner in Sydney to continue South Korea’s frankly inexplicable wait for a third Asian Cup. They won the first two tournaments in 1956 and 1960. Since then nada. Zilch. The square root of bugger all. They’ve lost four finals in that time, most recently in 2015.
Whoever wins today will be strong favourites to reach this year’s final, with Jordan waiting in the semis. They beat Tajikistan 1-0 earlier today.
Australia need to play better than in their first four games, when they often struggled to break down deep-lying defences. In a perverse way, playing against better opposition might help them. Graham Arnold will certainly hope so: if Australia go out today, the tournament will have been an undeniable failure.
Kick off 6.30pm local / 2.30am AEDT / 3.30pm GMT.
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