It’s a day before the game, but instead of tension, there’s a relaxed atmosphere. The team started their training with a fun rondo (ball spinning) for the first time in a long time.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by Jürgen Klinsmann, will take on Roberto Mancini’s Saudi Arabia in the round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qatar at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, at 1:00 a.m. KST on June 31.
Training for the match against Saudi Arabia began at 4 p.m. local time on Sept. 29 at Al Egla Training Center, one day before the match. There were 25 players on the field, minus Moon Sun-min, who suffered a hamstring injury. The 24 existing squad members and goalkeeper training partner Kim Jun-hong, who replaced Kim Seung-kyu, who dropped out due to an ACL injury, took part in training.
The players were in good spirits as ever as they took to the field. They face a tough opponent in Saudi Arabia in the Round of 16, but they are not taking it lightly. Coach Klinsmann also led the training session after a leisurely press conference later in the day.
After about two minutes of Klinsmann’s speech, the team began their training for the Saudi game with a run. The 22 field players were serious, but not too serious. The run was followed by a basic exercise of placing small rubber markers and running quickly between them.
The players then split into three groups and worked on their teamwork with ball tosses. The players showed a good team spirit by talking loudly and laughing whenever they missed the ball.
The day before, Saudi Arabia also divided the players into two groups for tactical drills and team building exercises.
Hwang Hee-chan and Kim Jin-soo were in high spirits after returning from injury in the third group game against Malaysia.
The duo missed the first and second rounds of the tournament and came on as late substitutes in the third match. Fortunately, according 메이저사이트 to the national team officials, they were fit enough to start and play the full game against Saudi Arabia.
More than 30,000 Saudi Arabian fans were expected at the Education City Stadium for the match. Playing in front of such a large crowd, Klinsmann and his players expect the game to be even more intense and exciting than before.