Kim Seung-gyu's painful mistake, he slipped during stoppage time in the first half... Korea concedes the opening goal to Saudi Arabia, trailing 0-1 at halftime

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Korea conceded the opening goal to Saudi Arabia due to a regrettable error by goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo) during stoppage time in the first half.

The Korean national football team, led by interim head coach Roberto Moreno, will enter the second half trailing 0-1 against Saudi Arabia in a friendly match held at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, at 11:30 p.m. (Korea time) on the 13th.

In the October FIFA rankings, Korea is ranked 32nd, which is 23 spots higher than Saudi Arabia (55th). The head-to-head record is evenly matched at five wins, nine draws, and five losses. In their most recent meeting in the Round of 16 of the 2024 Qatar Asian Cup, Korea won on penalties after a 1-1 draw following extra time.

Korea took the field with a 4-4-2 formation. Captain Son Heung-min (LAFC) and Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas) formed the two-striker partnership, while Hwang Hee-chan (Schalke) and Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid) occupied the flanks.

Hwang In-beom (Porto) and Park Jin-seop (Zhejiang) coordinated in midfield. The back four consisted of Jo Hyun-taek (Ulsan HD), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Lee Han-beom (Club Brugge), and Seol Yeong-woo (Augsburg), from left to right. Kim Seung-gyu guarded the goal.

Korea accelerated its attack from early in the first half. In the 19th minute of the first half, Hwang Hee-chan broke through Saudi Arabia's defense with a quick dribble and passed the ball to Son Heung-min. Receiving the ball in the center of the penalty box, Son Heung-min struck a left-footed shot, but the ball narrowly missed past the right goalpost.

Saudi Arabia also launched counterattacks. In the 25th minute of the first half, Jo Hyun-taek received a yellow card for a rough tackle while trying to cut off a Saudi Arabian counterattack. Three minutes later, Marwan Al-Sahafi aimed at the far corner of the goal with his right foot from outside the penalty box. Fortunately, Kim Seung-gyu dived to make the save.

Another opportunity came for Korea in the 45th minute of the first half. Left-footed Lee Kang-in this time struck a long-range shot with his right foot. It was a threatening shot, but it was blocked by the Saudi Arabian goalkeeper's save.

The balance was broken during stoppage time in the first half. Kim Seung-gyu slipped while coming out of the goal to block a Saudi Arabian attack. Al-Sahafi, whose previous shot had been saved by Kim Seung-gyu, did not miss the chance and calmly pushed the ball into the net.

As a result, Korea ended the first half trailing 0-1.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original