Lee Kang-in joined Abu Dhabi Klinsmann on the 5th (provided by the Korea Football Association)
‘Klinsmann’, aiming to win the Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years, has finally become a full 26-member team.
The Korea Football Association announced on the 5th, “Lee Kang-in arrived at his accommodation in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) at around 9 a.m. local time on this day,” and added, “The national team will train with the full 26 members from the afternoon.”
Klinsmann will compete in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, which will begin in Qatar on the 12th local time, and challenge to become the top player for the first time in 64 years.
Korea has not had a chance to win since the first tournament in 1956 and the second tournament in 1960. I had to be satisfied with being runner-up four times. In the most recent tournament in 2019, they lost to Qatar in the quarterfinals and packed their bags.
Korea aims for the championship trophy by using overseas players who are in the best condition in their respective teams.
The national team gathered together with domestic players and some foreign players at a hotel in Seoul on the 26th of last month to warm up through indoor training, and entered Abu Dhabi, the training ground, on the 3rd. Captains Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Kim Seung-gyu (Al-Shabab) joined locally.
Lee Kang-in, a member of the national soccer team participating in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, is greeting officials at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 5th (local time). (Provided by the Korea Football Association) 2024.1.5/News 1 Son Heung-min, a member of the Korean national soccer team participating in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, is training at New York University’s Abu Dhabi Stadium in the United Arab Emirates on the 4th (local time). (Provided by the Korea Football Association) 2024.1.5/News 1
With Lee Kang-in, who played in the Super Cup with his team Paris Saint-Germain, arriving in Abu Dhabi on this day, the national team finally came together as a whole.
Lee Kang-in led the team to a 2-0 victory by scoring the first and final goal in the 3rd minute of the first half against Toulouse in the French Super Cup (Trore des Champions) held on the 4th. Lee Kang-in, who was also selected as MVP of the game, lifted the trophy for the first time since wearing the PSG uniform.
Lee Kang-in, who won the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year and also won the Super Cup, is now aiming to win the Asian Cup.
The 26-member national team will play a friendly match against Iraq at the New York University Stadium in Abu Dhabi on the 6th and then enter Doha, Qatar, the site of the final match, on the 10th.
Korea (23rd in FIFA rankings), which is attempting to become the top team for the first time in 64 years, competes with Bahrain (86th), Jordan (87th), and Malaysia (130th) in Group E of the Asian Cup group stage. Korea will play its first match against Bahrain on the 15th and then meet Jordan (20th) and Malaysia (25th) in turn.
Coach Klinsmann expressed his determination, saying, “We will definitely lift the Asian Cup trophy, which has not been achieved for 64 years.” Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) also said, “The goal is to win,” and was confident, “I will do my best to achieve the desired result.”
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann of the Republic of Korea national soccer team participating in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup gives instructions to his players during training held at New York University’s Abu Dhabi Stadium in the United Arab Emirates on the 4th (local time). (Provided by the Korea Football Association) 2024.1.5/News 1
Players of the national soccer team, aiming to win the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years, are training in preparation for the tournament at New York University’s Abu Dhabi Stadium in the United Arab Emirates on the 3rd (Korean time). (Provided by the Korea Football Association) 2024.1.4/News 1
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2024-01-05 07:03:28
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