Jordan vs South Korea- Shocking exit sees Son Heung-Min & Co return empty-handed as resolute Jordan punches final ticket
South Korea suffered a shocking exit from the Asian Cup 2024 in Qatar after the high-flyers were eliminated by Jordan on Tuesday (Feb 7). After mounting inspirational comebacks in their previous encounters, a 2-0 defeat saw Son Heung-Min and his side exit at the semifinal stage handing Jordan their maiden berth in the final. Goals from Yazan Al-Naimat and Musa Al-Taamari’s second-half strike were enough for Jordan to send South Korea packing home from the Asian Cup.
Jordan vs South Korea Match Analysis
Having stunned Saudi Arabia and Australia with stoppage time goals and later winning in penalty shootout and extra time, there was no such drama on Tuesday evening at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. Al-Naimat opened the scoring eight minutes into the second half after both teams were at parity at halftime. The goal saw the moment in Jurgen Klinsmann’s camp as they brought Midtjylland striker Gue-Sung Cho to change things. However, those plans were shattered in the 66th minute when Al-Taamari nodded home the second goal for the West Asian side.
The Koreans, pre-tournament favorites, were stunned by the euphoria at the stadium as the opposition had a two-goal lead unlike Saudi Arabia and Australia which kept the two-time champions at bay. The Koreans tried their best to get back into the game yet again, but with no way back in the match they were condemned the defeat, leaving their hopes shattered of winning the Asian Cup for the first time since 1960.
South Korea’s 64-year wait for the Asian Cup glory is the longest for any former champion in the tournament’s history. They will next take the field in March for their FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Thailand, whom they play both home and away.
Jordan, on the flip side, will play the winner of Qatar and Iran in the final on Sunday. Interestingly, this is their first final in the Asian Cup, and have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup in their history.
