Korean players who won the 9th game against Iran on the 24th▶ Click here for a larger view
Bentuho dreams of a ‘beautiful finale’ in the UAE expedition.
The Korean national football team, led by coach Paulo Bento, will play Group A of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Asian Final Qualifier against the UAE at the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai, UAE on the 29th at 10:45 pm (Korean time).
This match is the final match to conclude the long journey to qualify for the Qatar World Cup.
Korea and Iran have already won tickets to the World Cup finals, which are given to the second place in each group.
South Korea won the home match against Iran 2-0 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 24th and are in the first place in Group A (23 points, 7 wins, 2 draws). Iran is second with 22 points (7 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss).
Although the goal of qualifying for the 10th consecutive World Cup has been achieved, Bentuho wants to defeat the UAE on an away trip and finish the final qualifier as group 1st.
If Korea does not lose against the UAE, it will be the first time since the 2010 World Cup final qualifiers in South Africa that it will be undefeated in all matches.
Among the 12 countries participating in the Asian final qualifier, Korea is the only team that has not lost.
However, in order to protect the ‘pride’ of the group 1st place, a victory against the UAE is necessary, not a draw.
As there is only one point difference with Iran, if Korea cannot beat the UAE and Iran beats their opponent Lebanon in the 10th game, the ranking could be reversed again.
Soccer team leaving for UAE▶ Click here for a larger view
Bentuho, who was determined to win, departed for the UAE on the night of the 26th and is preparing for a battle.
The UAE is ranked 69th in the FIFA World Rankings, which is lower than Korea (29th).
Korea has the upper hand with 13 wins, 5 draws and 2 losses from 20 matches, and in their most recent match, in November last year, in their 5th home match against the UAE, they won 1-0 thanks to Hwang Hee-chan’s penalty kick final ball.
However, this is an opponent that cannot be easily seen in the 10th game.
The UAE is ranked 3rd in the group with 2 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses (9 points) in the final qualifying round.
The third-place team in Group A will face off against Australia, the third-placed team in Group B, for a place in the intercontinental play-off (PO).
The UAE’s last hope, which has not been able to go straight to the finals, is the playoffs, with Iraq in 4th place (8 points, 1 win, 5 draws, 3 losses) and 5th place Lebanon (6 points, 1 win, 3 draws and 5 losses) threatening the place. .
The UAE, which can secure third place on its own by defeating Korea, is expected to engage in an all-out war against the Bentu.
Goalkeeper Ali Mabkut, who scored three of UAE’s six goals in the final qualifying round, and naturalized player Kaiu Kanedu, who scored two goals, are on the lookout.
Son Heung-min trying to shoot in Game 5 against the UAE in November of last year▶ Click here for a larger view
With some players leaving Korea due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and injuries, the key is to maximize their power.
Midfielder Hwang In-beom (Rubin Kazan) was unable to join the national team due to a fractured toe, and Kim Jin-gyu, Baek Seung-ho (above Jeonbuk), and Jo Kyu-seong (Gimcheon) were diagnosed with Corona 19 and were canceled.
Won Doo-jae (Ulsan), who was selected as a substitute, also injured his shoulder during training and returned to his team.
Captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham) is also a ‘trustworthy man’ in the national team.
Heung-Min Son, who leads the scoring in the Asian final qualifying round with 4 goals in the final qualifying round, together with Medi Taremi (Iran), Wurei (China), and Junya Ito (Japan), is aiming for the top scorer.
It is also noteworthy whether the toes of Hwang Ui-jo (Bordeaux), who have not yet scored in the final qualifying round, will survive amid Jo Kyu-seong’s departure.
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