Coach Arnold: “I play against top players in the ‘top league’ where the pace of the game is fast.”
Korean-Australian Director Greetings
The 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup quarterfinals match between Korea and Australia held at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar on the 2nd (local time). Coach Jurgen Klinsmann and Australian coach Graham Arnold are exchanging greetings.
Graham Arnold, the coach of the Australian national team, who was eliminated from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup after an extended struggle, cited the power of ‘big leaguers’ as the reason why Klinsmann showed such fierce determination.
The Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, advanced to the semifinals by defeating Australia 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup held at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar on the 3rd (Korean time).
Until the end of the second half, it seemed like Australia had a ticket to the semifinals.
Australia, boasting solid organizational skills, held on to Craig Goodwin’s first goal in the 42nd minute of the first half until the end of regular time in the second half.
However, Australia conceded a penalty kick while trying to stop Son Heung-min, who attempted a solo dribble breakthrough in extra time in the second half, and collapsed after conceding a free kick to Son Heung-min in overtime.
In the round of 16 match against Saudi Arabia held on the 31st of last month, Klinsmann scored in extra time in the second half to extend the game, and advanced to the quarterfinals after a penalty shootout.
At the post-game press conference, coach Arnold was asked why Klinsmann continued to be so aggressive at the end of the game, and he responded, “I think it’s because there are a lot of players in Korea who play in the ‘top league’ in Europe, which plays at a very fast pace.” .
“They play against top players in Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers,” Arnold added.
It appears that he was referring to Klinsmann’s captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), defensive core Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and shock leader Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton).
Although Coach Arnold unfortunately withdrew in the quarterfinals, he pointed out that the team would have grown further through this tournament.
He said, “If you consider the experience of playing in international matches, our team can be considered a very young team. We are in the process of rebuilding the team. We were able to see new faces on the field today, too.” 19가이드03