Jürgen Klinsmann's time as South Korea coach has largely been defined by his unpopularity.
Whether it's questions about his national teams, tactics, not living in Korea as he promised, or his perceived lack of respect for the K League, Taegeuk Warriors fans have been constantly upset by their German coach and fearful that he was wasting a generation. golden of talent. .
But now, after a dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Australia, he has led South Korea to an Asian Cup semi-final.
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And whether because of their coach or in spite of him, your opinions may vary, Son Heung-Min and company have now managed to pull away from the brink of elimination in the final seconds twice in their last two games and claim victory, proving that they are not There is no game they are out of until the final whistle blows.
The South Korean talisman proved to be irrepressible on Friday night, simply refusing to let his team lose and in what will likely be the last time the 31-year-old presents himself as “the man” on this stage, maintaining his dreams of ending a 64-year streak. The continental title drought is still alive.
In fact, everything changed very quickly. The game's story was altered in an instant.
When 90 minutes were up at Al Janoub Stadium, Australia was leading 1-0. Having done well for most of the match, they took the lead in the first half through Craig Goodwin and were on the verge of establishing their current team as one of the best in their nation's history.
To be honest, they should have been further ahead, but at least they were ahead of them.
But South Korea kept coming in seven minutes of added time.
And with the Socceroos locked in their shell in a desperate rearguard, they won a penalty when substitute Lewis Miller unnecessarily brought down Son. It was the exact opposite of the role of watching the game, moving on to the next, that the defender was supposed to play. All he and the rest of Australia could do was watch as Hwang Hee-Chan stepped up to bury a penalty on Mathew Ryan and force extra time.
However, this surely still favored Australia. Good? That was the thought that came up.
After all, the Socceroos benefited from two extra days of rest before this match and were known for being physical beasts. It wasn't until Wednesday night that South Korea equalized in the 99th minute against Saudi Arabia before winning on penalties.
You might think so, but coach Graham Arnold's game-ending measures had left his team inadequate to recover in the sudden level terms of an extra thirty minutes.
Just as they had done throughout the second half in a desperate attempt to get back into the contest, the red team buzzed around the penalty area, looking for an opening, an angle or an avenue to slip through that killer shot or a killer pass.
And just before the first 15 minutes of extra time concluded, Miller once again stuck out an unnecessary leg, this time knocking down Hwang on the edge of the penalty area. In the reverse situation of the penalty, Son stepped up and everyone in the stadium knew what was about to happen: a free kick sailed brilliantly over Ryan, and South Korea were on their way to the final four.
Now, Jordan waits at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Tuesday night. An opponent that the Taegeuk Warriors will be the favorites to defeat despite Kim Min-Jae's suspension for yellow card accumulation and his boring draw in the group stage.
Then, potentially, a final and a chance to end a wait for continental glory of more than half a century. If the change in the narrative surrounding this game seemed sudden, what effect would that trophy have on Klinsmann's reputation?
There is still a lot to criticize because, after all, football is a game of opinions. It's not exactly a good thing that South Korea continues to have to force its way back into the game, for example. But he would have taken them to an Asian Cup! What does that mean?
Australia was always going to be an illuminating test. His team would enter the game as a technically superior team and start with Son, Hwang, Lee Kang-In and Cho Gue-Sung, a front line that wouldn't be out of place in any of Europe's top leagues.
But Arnold would be content to put his team into a cohesive, well-disciplined and compact shape; allowing South Korea to have the ball, but in a way that he believed would be primarily in green and gold terms. This would be supported by a back four that had conceded just one goal throughout the tournament and was backed up by 6ft 6in centre-back Harry Souttar, who would gladly deny most attempts to loft high balls over the top.
And so it came to pass that at the end of the first half, South Korea would have 70% of the ball but no shots, let alone one on goal, and Australia would have a 1-0 lead.
Out of possession, Australia looked to clog the midfield, moving around the park as a tight unit and not allowing the South Koreans to pass the ball through them. They pressed when they needed to and made sure that every time their opponents put the ball into a vaguely dangerous area, there was a man on them immediately. On some of the early occasions, speculative high balls were sent forward, only for Souttar to deflect them easily.
In the 31st minute came an unusual South Korean breakthrough, a surgical move through the Socceroos defense that saw Seol Young-Woo get in behind and square the ball for Hwang to send home. It was a moment of brilliance that had been dulled until then, but fate, on this occasion, smiled on the Socceroos: the flag that was blown showed that Seol had been offside with a kneecap in the build-up.
And the possibilities also went in the opposite direction, terrifying moments of transition. On the stroke of half-time, Australia had a moment, the kind of small opening around which their game was built.
Hwang In-Beom sent in a hospital ball from the top of his area which was collected by Goodwin, who initiated a move that eventually saw Connor Metcalfe find Nathaniel Atkinson on the overlap. He hooked a ball that seemed to float in the air for an eternity before falling back to earth at the feet of Goodwin, who hit a volley to give Australia the lead.
It was a surprising turn of events. Australia was developing the game on its own terms and had reaped its rewards. Their pressure, form and determination had tipped the game in their favor and, in truth, they should have had more than their sole objective. South Korea needed an answer. Klinsmann needed an answer. And they found one.
Because when the second stanza began, a South Korean attack hit the Australian defense. Attack, after attack, after attack, after attack. With a renewed sense of energy and purpose, the South Koreans began to find their way through, around and behind the Australian lines. They had come back against Saudi Arabia just three days ago and were not going to stay calm at the Al Janoub stadium.
Australia were falling further and further behind and yet, heartbreakingly for those in Australia, they still had two golden chances to win it. In the 54th minute, the ball floated to the back post, where Martin Boyle met it with a header straight to Jo Hyeon-woo, who also charged into the rebound and Boyle's follow-up attempt. The ball then found Mitchell Duke in space above the six-yard box, only for the striker to volley over the bar.
Half an hour later, with Australia under almost total siege, a rare moment of transition emerged as they broke right. Miller passed the ball to Jordan Bos on the left, who lifted the ball toward Duke for a header over the top of the six-yard box. This was! No, it wasn't, because the resulting attempt went wide.
These missed opportunities, in some ways, helped create a sense of inevitability around South Korea's goal. Aiden O'Neill, another Arnold substitute meant to watch the match, received a red card in extra time which effectively sealed the match.
When you don't take advantage of your opportunities against this team, they will punish you. And on Friday night, that's what Son did, that's what Hwang did, and that's what South Korea did.
You can never rule out this side.
