The 2024 Asian Cup is in full swing in Qatar and has entered the 1 8 finals stage. In this Asian Cup, one strong team after another strong team was out of the game, and the upsets appeared frequently, which made the fans happy. Among them, the elimination of the United Arab Emirates by Tajikistan became one of the biggest upsets in this Asian Cup. In addition, the clash between Saudi Arabia and South Korea is in the spotlight, and the two teams will face off in a fierce showdown in the 1 8 finals at 0:00 a.m. on January 31. This key battle will be broadcast live by CCTV's CCTV5 sports channel, and I believe fans will be looking forward to it.
Ahead of the Asian Cup, Japan and South Korea have been considered favourites to win the tournament. However, in the group stage, Japan was unexpectedly defeated by Iraq and only finished second in the group to advance. South Korea, on the other hand, did not finish top of the group as they had hoped, as they were lucky to finish second in the group after drawing against Jordan and Malaysia. Although South Korea scored eight goals in the group stage and were one of the most attacking fireworks, their defence was not solid enough, conceding six goals in total, the most of any team in the round of 16.
Finishing second in the group, South Korea managed to avoid Japan and make it to the top half of the bracket, while also avoiding a showdown with strong rivals Iran. In the 1 8 finals of the top half of the zone, South Korea will face Saudi Arabia, the leader of Group F. Saudi Arabia is currently led by coach Roberto Mancini, and in recent years, the Saudi league has attracted a significant increase in attention thanks to its strong economic strength and the introduction of famous European stars. Saudi Arabia won all three of their group games, beating Oman and Kyrgyzstan and drawing with Thailand. They have been solid in attack, scoring four goals while conceding just one.
From the perspective of historical head-to-head, Saudi Arabia and South Korea have met twice in the Asian Cup, and the Saudi team maintains an unbeaten record with 1 win and 1 draw. The last time the two teams met was in a warm-up match last year, when South Korea won thanks to Cho Gyu-sung's goal. This also means that South Korea have failed to beat the Saudi team for 23 consecutive years, which is an embarrassing record for the South Korean team.
In the 1 8 finals of this Asian Cup, upsets frequently appeared. The UAE and Iraq were eliminated in quick succession, while hosts Qatar came back from a goal down to win over Palestine. This series of upsets shows that the knockout stage is very fortuitous, and any strong team can lose its advantage at a critical moment. For the South Korean team, they chose to challenge the Saudi team, which means that they face a great test. Son Heung-min and Jurgen Klinsmann will have to put in their best performances in this crucial game to lead the team to victory.
The focus of the 1 8 finals is about to begin, with Roberto Mancini's Saudi Arabia taking on Klinsmann's South Korea. The match is full of uncertainty and has fans looking forward to it. Regardless of the outcome, we can expect a thrilling matchup that will result in a great matchup. Whether it is the strength of the Saudi team and the command of the famous coach Mancini, or the offensive firepower of the South Korean team and the play of Son Heung-min, it will be the key to this game. Let's wait and see and look forward to a wonderful Asian Cup 1 8 finals!