Tonight, a battle of life and death will be played out in the quarter-finals of the U20 Asian Cup. The national football team and the South Korean team will fight to qualify for this year's Indonesia U20 World Cup. It was the most important match between the two teams in recent years and the 19th meeting in their history. South Korea has an absolute advantage with 13 wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats, but the national football team will not give up easily. So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each side in this crucial contest?
First look at the national football team. The national football team achieved 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss and 4 points in the group stage, and qualified for the knockout stage of the Asian Youth Tournament after 9 years as the second place in the group. This has exceeded expectations and shows the team's progress and potential. The biggest surprise of the national football team is that it has a group of outstanding players, such as Eiffelding, Li Hao, Mutarif, Xu Bin, etc., who have shown excellent technique, speed and awareness in the intercontinental competition. They are able to play quick counter-attacks and create opponents' own goals or mistakes. For example, against Japan, Eiffelding sent a corner kick and used the opposing defender to clear the gap and score; Against Saudi Arabia, Eiffeldin used his personal ability to send a wonderful pass to assist Mutarifu to open the scoring, and then it was still Eiffeldin who counterattacked to send the ball into the box and help Xu Bin score the winning goal; In the game against Kyrgyzstan, not only Eiffelding recreated the opponent's own goal, but also Li Hao as the back line of the copper wall iron wall high and low block, to ensure that the city gate is not lost, bringing the national football team to the round of eight.
However, the national football team also has some obvious disadvantages. The first is that the overall strength is not as good as the South Korean team, whether it is the possession rate, the number of shots, the success rate of passing and other data are in the downside. For example, against Japan, the national football team has only 38% possession and 6 shots on goal, while Japan has 62% possession and 16 shots on goal. The second was a hole in the defense, conceding a total of 3 goals in the group stage and narrowly being reversed by Kyrgyzstan in the final moments. For example, against Japan, the national football team scored two headers from set-pieces; Against Kyrgyzstan, the national team scored a long-range shot by the opponent using a wing breakthrough. Again, there is the physical issue, where players may feel tired or plagued by injuries after three high-intensity games in a row. For example, against Japan, Eiffelding left early due to a groin strain; Against Kyrgyzstan, Chen Zhexuan and Yurimulati were each suspended for a yellow card
。 Finally, there is the psychological pressure, which may lack confidence or calm when facing traditional strong rivals South Korea. For example, in the 2019 U19 Asian Youth Championship, the national football team lost 0-3 to South Korea.
Next, look at the Korean team. South Korea achieved a record of 2 wins, 1 draw and 7 points in the group stage, finishing first in the group. They scored 6 goals,
And there were no goals conceded. This shows that they have strong and balanced offensive and defensive capabilities. The biggest advantage of the Korean team is that it has been participating in the league for three years and is coached by former Chinese Super League coach Kim In-jung. This gives them a high degree of tacit understanding, discipline and tactical execution. They also have some players with outstanding individual ability, such as Jiang Chengjin, Cheng Zhenying, etc., and their cooperation, shooting skills and experience in the front court are excellent. For example, against Oman, Sung Zhenying scored two wonderful long-range shots; Against Jordan, Kang used his speed and broke through 1v3 to score a winning goal. In addition, the South Korean team has a physical advantage, they have one more day off than the national team, and may have more energy and endurance.
Of course, the South Korean team is not without its disadvantages. The first is the possibility of underestimating or being proud, who have historically dominated the national football team and were runners-up in the last World Youth Championship. Both their players and coaches showed strong confidence and a desire to win before the game. For example, in a pre-match press conference, Kim said: "We are not afraid of any opponent, we only think about how to win the game. "The second is the possibility of being adversely affected by the referee or the fans, who have had some controversial decisions in the group stage and who do not have many supporters in Uzbekistan. Finally, there may be a counterattack or unexpected blow from the national team, and although they are solid defensively, they are not like iron barrels. If the national football team can seize the opportunity to break the deadlock, as it did against Japan and Saudi Arabia, the South Korean team could be in trouble or flustered.
To sum up, the match between the national football team and the South Korean team tonight will be a tough battle. Both sides have their strengths and weaknesses, and the key is who can bring out their own characteristics and overcome their weaknesses. I think the national football team has the potential to make history if it can maintain the defensive counter-attack tactics and seize the opportunity to break the deadlock. I hope that the national football team can calm down and go all out to strive for the honor of Chinese football!