What South Korea’s Asian Cup exit means for Son Heung-min & Jurgen Klinsmann

When Jurgen Klinsmann was appointed as head coach of South Korea in February 2023, he requested followers and media to guage him on the Asian Cup and pledged to carry the trophy again to Seoul for the primary time in 64 years.

A yr on and it’s time for the German to be judged – however the verdict will not be to his liking, after South Korea misplaced 2-0 to Jordan in Tuesday’s semi-final.

The Middle Easterners, ranked 64 locations under South Korea at 87th on the planet, had by no means crushed the Taeguk Warriors earlier than and had been of their first main semi-final – however proved superior in each facet.

The star-studded South Korea group had arrived with excessive hopes of ending their lengthy wait for a 3rd continental title.

Tottenham ahead Son Heung-min and Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan have each scored a minimum of 10 Premier League targets this season, whereas Paris St-Germain’s Lee Kang-in is considered one in every of Asia’s most artistic and skilful gamers.

Despite their attacking firepower, they didn’t have a single shot on the right track in opposition to an unheralded however dominant Jordan facet.

After the match, Klinsmann was requested if he was going to resign.

“I am not planning to do anything,” he replied. “I plan to analyse this tournament, go back to Korea and obviously talk with the federation about what was good and what was not so good in the tournament.”

One a part of that dialogue will presumably last more than the opposite, as there have been few positives for Klinsmann’s facet who solely received one match in regular time through the event.

South Korea’s opening 3-1 win over Bahrain was adopted by group-stage attracts with Jordan and Malaysia, who’re ranked 130th on the planet.

In the second spherical, they had been 90 seconds from elimination earlier than equalising in opposition to Saudi Arabia within the 99th minute after which profitable a penalty shootout.

In the quarter-final they levelled in opposition to Australia within the 96th minute earlier than Son fired them by with an outstanding extra-time free-kick.

Such “zombie football” – because it was labelled by media in South Korea – supplied drama however not a lot else.

“The team played with no specific tactics,” mentioned MBC Television commentator Seo Hyung-wook. “It all depended on individuals and not the team and there was just one win in six matches within 90 minutes.”

There had been issues about Klinsmann when he was appointed, notably as he had, aside from an ill-fated 10-week spell with Hertha Berlin, not coached since leaving the United States nationwide group in 2016. Such worries had been heightened by the relative lack of time spent in South Korea.

In his first six months within the job, a Seoul newspaper calculated the German had spent simply 67 days within the nation, in distinction to previous overseas coaches who had all been based mostly within the capital metropolis.

Some information conferences had been carried out by way of video link from his California house, with Klinsmann explaining this was the job of a contemporary worldwide coach.

“He looks like a part-timer, staying out of Korea and watching very few matches in which Korean players played,” mentioned Seo. “He just travels around the world to meet players and coaches. I don’t think he has any plan to develop Korean football.”

Klinsmann’s contract runs till the top of the 2026 World Cup and qualification in Asia, which South Korea began in November, resumes subsequent month.

But in addition to the way forward for the coach, there are additionally issues for captain Son.

“Fans are devastated and disappointed and they are worrying the coach will not resign but that Son will quit the national team,” Seo mentioned.

After the sport, Son, who struggled to make any impression in opposition to Jordan, and whose three targets within the event got here from two penalties and a free-kick, hinted he might take into account his worldwide future.

Some see his feedback as an oblique try to point out his dissatisfaction with the group’s route, whereas others really feel it got here from uncooked emotion.

The Spurs skipper, 31, was devastated after the ultimate whistle, holding again tears whereas apologising to followers.

There is just one Europe-based participant within the Jordan squad who certified for their first Asian Cup closing – and Mousa Al-Tamari was already his group’s star, partly because of the actual fact he performs for Montpellier in France.

Some have tried to label the winger the ‘Jordanian Lionel Messi’ or in contrast him to Mohamed Salah however the 26-year-old shrugged off such ideas – similar to he prevented South Korea’s challenges as he scored a pleasant second aim.

“It means everything to me to be in the final and I hope we can do it,” mentioned Al-Tamari. “It’s also good because it will make everyone speak about my country in France and this is very emotional for me.”

There is already discuss of European curiosity in Yazan Al-Naimat who scored the opener within the semi-final. The group’s Moroccan coach Hussein Ammouta hopes there’ll quickly be 4 or 5 Jordanians energetic in Europe’s high leagues within the close to future.

That might nicely occur, particularly in the event that they beat Qatar or Iran in Saturday’s closing. It would not be a shock and the assumption is there.

“We must defend this shirt with everything we’ve got,” mentioned Ammouta. “We are growing more ambitious by the hour.”

By distinction, South Korea’s ambitions now flip to 2026 – but it surely stays to be seen whether or not Klinsmann or Son are in Seoul for March’s qualifier in opposition to Thailand.