In the early hours of February 3, 2024, the Asian Cup of Nations and the Africa Cup of Nations ushered in a series of exciting matches. In the 1 4 finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria narrowly defeated Angola to advance to the semi-finals 1-0. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo won 3-1 in a fierce clash with Guinea and also managed to qualify for the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations. In the 1 4 finals of the Asian Cup, South Korea eliminated Australia in a 2-1 reversal victory and successfully advanced to the semifinals of the Asian Cup.
In the match between Nigeria and Angola, the first half was intense. Osimhen headed twice from inside the box, but the ball flew out of the net. Simon broke down the left and provided the assist, before Lookman followed up with a volley to break the deadlock and score the winning goal for Nigeria in the 41st minute. In the second half, Iwobi and Ziney tried to shoot but the ball was on target. Despite Osimhen's header from an offside position, the referee quickly ruled it offside and Nigeria managed to reach the last four of the Africa Cup of Nations with a score of 1-0 at the end of the game.
In the other 1 4 finals, Australia faced off against South Korea in a fierce battle. Although Australia had the upper hand with physical and physical superiority, South Korea, who were far apart in value, showed excellent physical fitness and strong willpower. In the end, Australia lost 1-2 in this game and failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the Asian Cup.
In the 2015 Asian Cup final, the two teams met. Despite Son Heung-min's equaliser in stoppage time, Australia eventually won the home title in extra-time thanks to a goal from Troisi, ending South Korea's 60-year Asian title drought.
South Korea showed some clever tactics in the group stage. The first match was a 3-1 win over Bahrain, the second was a 2-2 draw with Jordan and the third was a 3-3 draw with Vietnam. Of particular note were the draws in the second and third matches, which saw Japan finish second in the group due to their defeat to Iraq. In order to avoid a confrontation with Japan, South Korea went all out to win the group and finally managed to come out on top. Bahrain topped the group, South Korea finished second and Jordan finished third. In the round of 16, Bahrain lost to Japan and exited early, Jordan defeated Iraq, and South Korea defeated Saudi Arabia to successfully advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarter-finals, Jordan beat Tajikistan 1-0 to advance to the semi-finals, while South Korea faced Australia in an exciting match to advance to the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals, Australia held the lead for the first 95 minutes. However, in the 96th minute, South Korea ushered in a late draw, and in the 104th minute of extra time, South Korea ended Australia's resistance with unwavering determination and successfully won their opponents, losing and winning two games in a row.
In the 42nd minute, Australia crossed to the back post from the right side of the penalty area, and Goodwin made a stunning volley when he met the ball, brilliantly sending the ball into the goal to make the score 1-0, and Australia successfully led South Korea.
In the 83rd minute, Australia missed a great chance at a crucial moment that could turn the fortunes of the match. A teammate managed to pass the ball to the back post far from goal, and Duke unexpectedly headed the ball wide in front of an empty goal. Such wasted opportunities often bring serious penalties, and the end result reaffirms this immutable law.
In the 90+6th minute of the game, Son Heung-min successfully broke through on the left side of the penalty area, but was brought down by Miller, and the referee decisively awarded a penalty. Hwang Hee-chan took the penalty and sent it safely into the net to level the score at 1-1. South Korea was given a chance to go to extra time.
In the 14th minute of extra time, Miller committed another foul and infringed on Hwang Hee-chan, giving South Korea a free-kick opportunity in a great position. Son Heung-min cleverly took a free-kick that flew like a scimitar through the defence to give South Korea a 2-1 lead over Australia.
However, in the final moments of the first half of extra time, Australian player O'Neill was sent off for a dangerous tackle. This serious mistake put Australia at a numerical disadvantage.
There is no doubt about the fighting spirit of the Korean team. When faced with a backward situation, they showed unyielding determination. In two games in a row, they have risen from desperate situations, first beating Saudi Arabia on penalties and now reversing Australia in extra-time. This is not only a test of the strength of the Korean team, but also a serious challenge to their strong will. South Korea managed to survive the test and successfully qualified for the semi-finals of the Asian Cup, while they will face Jordan in the semi-finals, and the chance of reaching the final cannot be ignored. After all, it's not the group stage, it's a direct showdown, and they'll have a tough battle with Jordan.
Australia opted to defend with all their might after taking a 1-0 lead, but paid a heavy price due to personnel changes. Substitute Miller made a number of mistakes at crucial moments, first awarding a penalty and then another free-kick in the first half of extra-time, which eventually led to a series of goals conceded by the team. Miller is to blame, but the bigger blame lies with the manager's mistakes. Duke missed a great opportunity and is also quite responsible for the team's loss. Klinsmann's luck was unbelievable in making it to the last four.
In the match between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea, in the 20th minute, Bayo fell to the ground and the referee awarded a penalty. He took the penalty himself, hitting it with precision to give Guinea a 1-0 lead. However, in the 27th minute, Mbemba scored a powerful shot from a tight angle to quickly level the score at 1-1. In the 65th minute, Mwupa showed a dragon-like run and created a penalty opportunity, and Wissa took the penalty to successfully change the score to 2-1. In the end, Masuaku scored directly with a free kick from the side in the 82nd minute, giving the Democratic Republic of the Congo a 3-1 victory and successfully advancing to the semi-finals.
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