Takefusa Kubo (22, Real Sociedad) didn’t get the chance to play in the Korea-Japan match he had hoped for.
“We watched the final group game together,” Kubo said in an interview, as reported by Japanese outlet Super World Soccer on Monday. I thought Korea won the final game,” he said.
He continued, “The extra time was very long. I was surprised to see that Malaysia managed to score in the end,” he said, 카지노사이트 expressing his surprise that the Korea-Japan match was canceled.
South Korea drew 3-3 with Malaysia in their third match of Group E at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup on June 25 at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar.
South Korea deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation on the day. Cho Kyu-sung anchored the front line. Jung Woo-young, Son Heung-min, and Lee Kang-in were the second line. Lee Jae-sung and Hwang In-beom formed the midfield, and the back four consisted of Seol Young-woo, Kim Young-kwon, Kim Min-jae, and Kim Tae-hwan. Cho Hyun-woo wore the goalkeeper’s gloves.
The first goal came quickly. In the 21st minute, Jeong Woo-young headed home a precise cross from Lee Kang-in off a corner kick.
The game didn’t get any easier. South Korea conceded two goals in the sixth and 17th minutes of the second half. Lee Kang-in’s free-kick goal barely kept the score level and the game tense.
They even had a chance to win the game. In the 45th minute, Oh Hyun-gyu won a PK and Son Heung-min converted to make it 3-2.
However, a whopping 12 minutes of extra time was awarded. In the end, Morales scored a theatrical equalizer to make it 3-3 just before the end of the game.
The match between Korea and Japan was over. If they had finished first in Group E, they would have faced Japan in the round of 16, but they finished second and will face Saudi Arabia in the round of 16.
Japan was also surprised. They were expecting to face South Korea, but suddenly they were drawn against Bahrain in the round of 16. Kubo said, “I didn’t expect to play Bahrain in the round of 16. I was watching the final, but the result changed several times, so I couldn’t predict it,” Kubo confessed.
“We had enough time to analyze Bahrain and prepare for them. I’m trying to keep my mind at ease. There’s still a lot of time before the round of 16,” he said confidently.