South Korean newspaper Shoun headline: “Klinsmann’s disaster in Qatar, without a single shot on goal against Jordan.”
“The consequence, after playing overtime in two consecutive matches, without having defender Kim Min-jae and without having a proper strategy, is losing to a team that is 87th in the FIFA rankings,” he wrote.
World number 23 South Korea had 70% possession with eight shots, but Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila did not have to make a save throughout the match. On the contrary, Jordan had only 30% possession but made 17 shots, including seven on goal and scored twice to advance to the Asian Cup final for the first time.
After the final whistle, captain Son Heung-min stood motionless on the field. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann and his teammates came to comfort him, but he didn’t move. It took him 10 minutes to leave because he had to do the post-match interview.
“I don’t know what to say,” Son said, his eyes teary. “I’m sorry. This will be my last Asian Cup.”
In the first two knockout matches, South Korea was behind, but then equalized in the last minute, sent the match to overtime and won on penalties. In the third match, they almost lacked energy at the end, unable to create as much pressure as in the previous two matches. Shoun also said that Klinsmann was the team’s problem.
“It is obvious that Klinsmann has limits and there will be no future for him in this team,” the club wrote.
Yonhap News said Klinsmann “has no plans” in South Korea’s final matches.
“Son and Lee Kang-in felt lonely on the offensive line, while the defense was pathetic without Kim,” the newspaper wrote. “It’s questionable for Klinsmann, as he has a group of players considered the strongest in team history.”
Towards the end of the match against Jordan, many South Korean fans shouted, “Please play real football.” Fans believe that Klinsmann prepared the team poorly for this tournament because he only depended on stars like Son, Lee, Kim or Hwang Hee-chan.
Although the media called on him to resign, Klinsmann said he would not do so.
“People talk about it a lot, but I never thought about resigning,” Klinsmann said in the post-match press conference. “After returning to South Korea, I will spend time discussing what I did well and what needs to be improved during the tournament.”
Klinsmann led Germany to third place in the 2006 World Cup and helped the United States win the Gold Cup in 2013. He became head coach of South Korea in February 2023, but faced criticism for not having spent enough time in the country. After 18 matches with Korea, Klinsmann’s win rate was just 44.4%, far lower than his predecessor Paulo Bento’s (61.4%).
