Australia stopped in the quarterfinals! The first defeat in 102 days, burying two major advantages, one person was in chaos

After losing to South Korea, Australia reached the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup, continuing their run of a run that had not reached the semi-finals of the Asian Cup since 2015.

In this Asian Cup, the trend and performance of the two teams are completely different. In the group stage against Jordan, South Korea only got one point in the first minute of stoppage time thanks to an own goal from their opponent. South Korea were 2-1 down until the 82nd minute of the match against Malaysia, and after Son Heung-min scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Morales' goal in the 15th minute of stoppage time made South Korea draw again.

In the quarter-finals against Saudi Arabia, Cho Gyu-sung's goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time dragged the game into extra time. In the penalty shootout, Najib and Gharib missed penalties in a row, and South Korea was in danger.

Australia are a different story, winning three and drawing one of their four games, scoring eight goals and conceding one, but that also has to do with the quality of their opponents. From the group stage to the round of 16, Australia's opponents are India, Syria, Uzbekistan and Indonesia.

South Korea have conceded seven goals in four games, while Australia have conceded just one, which has given Australian coach Alexander-Arnold confidence that "this is a big advantage for us". Defensively, Australia had two more days of rest than South Korea after the round of 16 tie, and South Korea played the full 120 minutes against Saudi Arabia, making fitness another advantage for Australia.

In the first half, Australia played quite well, with only 30% of the possession, Australia did not allow South Korea to get a chance to shoot in the first half, and seized the opportunity of Hwang In-beom's mispass, and Goodwin swept the goal.

However, perhaps because of the smooth play, Australia is gradually at a disadvantage, and even in terms of physical fitness. In the 4th minute of stoppage time, substitute Miller tackled Son Heung-min in the penalty area and gave away a penalty, and Hwang Hee-chan scored it overnight, and the game went into extra time. Subsequently, O'Neill left the field in red, leaving Australia at a complete disadvantage.

In the end, Australia stopped in the quarterfinals after a tragic reversal, and reached the quarterfinals for two consecutive Asian Cups. However, in five Asian Cup appearances, Australia has reached the quarter-finals in each of them and the semi-finals three times.

At the same time, Australia's unbeaten streak was ended. Since losing to England on 13 October 2023, Australia have won eight and drawn one of their nine matches.

Two more days of rest has a physical advantage, but Australia is the perfect example of what it means to be careless. In the face of the "Taiji Tiger" who never gave up, Australia paid a heavy price for Toda.