The Korean national soccer team’s bid to win its first Asian Cup in 64 years has been hit by a spate of injuries to key players.
The team arrived in Qatar and held their first training session at the Al Egla Training Center in Doha, Qatar on the afternoon of the 11th, but Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), and Kim Jin-soo (Jeonbuk) missed the first session due to injury.
While Lee Jae-sung’s injury is fortunately a minor bruise, Hwang Hee-chan reportedly suffered from fatigue in his left hip muscle and 안전카지노사이트 Kim Jin-soo from discomfort in his left calf muscle.
In particular, Hwang Hee-chan is expected to miss the first two games of the group stage, while Kim Jin-soo may skip the group stage altogether. If both players are unavailable from the start of the tournament, Klinsmann’s squad will suffer a significant blow.
Hwang Hee-chan, who plays for Wolverhampton in the English Premier League (EPL), has been in fine form this season, scoring 10 goals in the league.
He is tied for sixth in the league in goals and is expected to lead the national team’s offense alongside captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham).
The injury to veteran Kim Jin-soo is also a concern. Currently, Lee Ki-je (Suwon Samsung) is the main man at left fullback for Klinsmann’s side, but it’s hard for him to play every game on his own.
Lee, who scored the winning goal with a thunderous left-footed strike against Iraq in an exhibition match on June 6, will also need to pay close attention to his physical condition.
South Korea, which is attempting to win the Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years, is considered a strong favorite along with rival Japan.
Unlike Japan, who are currently dealing with injuries to key players such as Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad) and Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), South Korea’s 26-man roster arrived in Qatar without any major injuries, raising expectations, but the sudden injury news has made them nervous.
South Korea will kick off their tournament schedule with their first Group E match against Bahrain at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 15. Hwang Hee-chan and Kim Jin-soo may not be able to play against Bahrain, so the team needs to be prepared.