Son Heung-min and South Korea must move on from a turbulent Asia Cup when they return to World Cup qualifying on Thursday, while Japan will face North Korea in two games as they travel to Pyongyang. A month ago, Qatar defeated Jordan 3-1 to retain the continental title on home soil, and Asian football is back on the road to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. A lot has happened since South Korea were eliminated 2-0 by unpopular Jordan in the Asian Cup semi-finals, including the sacking of head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
It has been revealed that captain Son Heung-min and Paris Saint-Germain attacking midfielder Lee Kang-in had an argument on the eve of the game, resulting in the Tottenham striker dislocating his finger.
Legendary German striker Jurgen Klinsmann was sacked after promising to lead South Korea to their first Asian title in 64 years. Huang Shanhong took over his post temporarily.
Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-yong have reconciled, with Hwang including the duo in his squad for Thursday’s home game against Thailand and the second match five days later.
“Lee Kang-in wanted the opportunity to apologize to the fans and teammates from the bottom of his heart, and Son Heung-min said we should all embrace Kang-in and move on,” South Korea’s under-23 national team coach Hwang Cullen said. , explain.
“Based on my experience as a national team player, I think problems like this end up making the team more nervous,” he added.
Prior to Klinsmann’s departure, South Korea beat Singapore 5-0 and won 3-0 in China to advance as top of the group and look to take another six points against Thailand.
Japan are also keen to build on their progress at the Asia Cup, where they lost 2-1 to Iran in the quarter-finals and never justified their tag as pre-tournament favourites.
Despite the disappointment, Hajime Moriho remains as coach and Japan face two games against North Korea, entering unknown territory when they play at Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Stadium on March 26.
The defense will have to make do without Brighton winger Kaoru Sanma, who looks set to miss the remainder of the Premier League with a back injury.
Winger Junya Ito has been left out of the team following sexual assault allegations. He denied the claims and filed a lawsuit seeking 200 million yen ($1.3 million) in damages.
The Japanese team scored 10 goals in two games, conceded zero goals, and accumulated 6 points.
Qatar captain withdraws
The Chinese team’s performance in the Asian Cup was also disappointing, scoring only two points and no goals in the group stage.
Croatia coach Branko Ivankovic replaces Jankovic, and the Chinese team will travel to Singapore for his first game in charge.
Among the Asian Cup finalists, Qatar faces Kuwait home and away and is expected to make it four wins from four games in Group A.
They will do so without Hassan Al Haydos, who led the team to a second successive Asian Cup title last month but was withdrawn from the national team at the weekend Retired at the age of 33.
He played 183 games for the national team and scored a record 41 goals.
While Qatar are expected to advance to the next round of World Cup qualifying, Asia Cup runners-up Jordan sit third in Group G with a point from two games behind Roberto Mancini’s Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan. .
With only the top two advancing, Jordan needs six points from back-to-back games against Pakistan.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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