After missing the previous match due to sports hernia surgery, “Captain” Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) is determined to return to form against El Salvador and give the Klinsmanns their first win.
The South Korean national soccer team will take on El Salvador, ranked 75th by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), in an A-match trial on Tuesday at Daejeon World Cup Stadium. As there is a significant gap in the rankings between Korea (27th) and El Salvador, expectations are high for the team to record a victory in this match.
Head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, who was appointed on March 9, has yet to record his first win. The team drew 2-2 with Colombia on March 24 and lost 1-0 to Uruguay on March 28.
They also lost a friendly against Peru 0-1 on March 16 at the Busan Asiad Stadium. This was not surprising as they were missing not only Son Heung-min, the center of their attack, but also Kim Min-jae (Napoli), Kim Young-kwon (Ulsan), Kim Moon-hwan (Jeonbuk), and Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan), their main defenders.
Despite not being at 100% strength, the team is in need of a win more than ever, as Klinsmann’s squad is winless in three matches since its inception. Furthermore, if they fail to record a win against El Salvador, Klinsmann’s first win will not be until September.
“I know how important this game is,” said Son Heung-min at a press conference on the 19th, “Coach Klinsmann hasn’t gotten his first win yet, and I’m determined to make it a fun game.”
“I’m happy that Son Heung-min is able to participate in full team training,” Klinsmann said, “He’s still not fit enough to play 90 minutes, but he’s preparing for the second half. I can’t wait to see him on the pitch.”
El Salvador lost 0-6 in an exhibition match against the Japanese national team in Japan on July 15. As a result, some observers said, “South Korea should win easily.”
However, Klinsmann was cautious, saying, “I told the players not to let their guard down because (El Salvador) will come out completely different than they did against Japan.”스포츠토토
Meanwhile, blacklisted tickets have been popping up all over the place on online second-hand trading community Janggunara. They are selling tickets for 10,000 to 20,000 won more than the regular price.
In response, soccer fans said, “The price is too outrageous,” “I hope they don’t sell out and have a good performance right before the game,” and “I hope there is a proper punishment for black marketers.”