Saudi Arabia’s coach Mancini expressed confidence ahead of the match against Korea.
South Korea will play in the round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup against Saudi Arabia in Doha, Qatar, at 1 a.m. on the 31st (Korea time). South Korea will face Saudi Arabia, which ranked first in Group F with two wins and one draw (7 points), while ranking second in the group with one win and two draws (5 points) in the Asian Cup group stage.
Korea, which is eying its first Asian Cup title in 64 years, had a 3-1 victory over Bahrain in its first match of the Asian Cup championship, but had an unexpected hard time against Jordan in its second group match to draw 2-2. Korea also had a shocking 3-3 draw in its third group match against Malaysia. Korea displayed unstable defense by allowing six goals in three group matches without allowing any goals in the three group matches. 라바카지노주소
Saudi Arabia, which will face off against South Korea, had 57 shots in the three group matches but scored four goals. Saudi Arabia has displayed stable defense capability, allowing only one goal in three matches.
Ahead of the match against Korea, Saudi Arabia’s coach Mancini said through Gulf Times and other media, “We had many chances to score. But what matters is our performance. Our motto is always to try to win while playing well.” He also added, “Soccer has to score goals. In the past two games, we had many chances to score. Hopefully, we saved the goal for the next game.”
“We don’t play for a draw. We dominated the game and tried to win,” Mancini said of the third group match against Thailand, which ended in a scoreless tie. “We had 17 shots and only three shots from the opponent team. We also had a 70 percent ball possession rate.”
As for the upcoming round of 16 match against Korea, he said, “We have to face off against strong teams in order to rise to a higher level in this tournament. We have to face off against teams such as Japan, Korea, Iran and Australia in the round of 16. If we are to win, we have to beat them. Now we are focusing on the match against Korea and we will see what happens.”
The showdown between South Korea and Saudi Arabia, the two most promising contenders, is the most eye-catching of the round of 16 strongest teams in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). “South Korea and Saudi Arabia have won five Asian Cup titles and 17 World Cup titles together. South Korea and Saudi Arabia are two powerhouses in Asian soccer. One of the two teams will be eliminated from the round of 16 strongest teams,” the AFC said. “South Korea has players who are performing at their best in European leagues such as Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in.” “South Korean and Saudi Arabian coaches have experience as continental champions. Mancini led Italy to the Euro 2020 championship and Klinsmann led the U.S. to the North-China Gold Cup in 2013.”