Jürgen Klinsmann missed the Asian Cup final with the South Korean national soccer team. The former national coach’s team lost the semi-final against Jordan in Doha 0-2 (0-0) on Tuesday (February 6, 2024) and has to wait for its first triumph at the Asian Championships since 1960.
The surprise team from Jordan, however, has a chance of winning the title for the first time on Saturday. Against the South Koreans, who were clearly superior on paper, Yazan Al-Naimat (53rd minute) and Musa Suleimani (66th) scored the goals to reach the historic final in the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan. The Jordanians had already thwarted Klinsmann’s team in the group phase with a 2-2 draw, and now they went one step further. Hosts and defending champions Qatar and Iran will determine the second finalist on Wednesday.
Asia Cup, semi-final arrow right
Without Bayern’s Kim there is no chance
Meanwhile, the wait continues for the South Koreans. Klinsmann and his team were aiming for their first title win in Qatar since 1960. After the disappointing preliminary round, the South Koreans were heavily criticized, but in the knockout phase they narrowly escaped into the next round twice. It was now over against Jordan.
Without Bayern Munich’s defense chief Min-Jae Kim, who was suspended, South Korea had its hands full against courageous Jordanians. In a fast-paced game, Klinsmann’s team initially had the best chance to take the lead, but Mainz’s Jae-Sung Lee (32′) only hit the post with his header. Jordan turned things up in the second half and defended their lead passionately until the end.
Klinsmann’s future open
Klinsmann, who was widely criticized in South Korea, did not want to think about resigning shortly after the game. “I don’t plan on doing anything,” said the 59-year-old. “I plan to analyze this tournament and talk to the Korean federation about what was good and what was not so good. There is still a lot of work ahead of us.” Klinsmann said he was “disappointed” and “angry.” “We had the big goal of getting to the final.”