South Korea's Son Heung-min is disappointed after the team's 0-2 defeat to Jordan in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup semi-final held at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on Feb 6. /News1

The South Korean national football team, coached by Jürgen Klinsmann, suffered a shocking defeat to Jordan in the semi-finals of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup held at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar on Feb. 7. This was the first time in 64 years that South Korea failed to advance to the Asian Cup final, losing 0-2 to Jordan.

S. Korea, despite claiming to be the ‘strongest in Asia’, has been unable to lift the Asian Cup trophy since winning back-to-back titles in the first (1956) and second (1960) tournaments.

This year, the team had high expectations, fueled by the inclusion of Europe’s top players such as Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and was considered to have its strongest lineup ever. However, after a 64-year quest for the title, the team’s hopes were dashed and they failed to win.

The South Korean national team players are expressing their disappointment after losing 0-2 to Jordan in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup semi-final match against Jordan, held at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on Feb 6. /Yonhap News

S. Korea’s defense showed poor performance during the tournament, having conceded a total of 10 goals throughout the 6 matches.

This was a significant drop from their previous performance in the 2015 Australia tournament, where they allowed only 4 goals and secured second place, and the 2019 UAE tournament, where they reached the quarter-finals.

S. Korea’s 12-match undefeated run was brought to an end by this defeat, which began with a friendly match against Wales in September of last year.

Ranked 23rd by FIFA, S. Korea is 64 places above Jordan, which is ranked 87th. Despite having a record of 3 wins and 3 draws against Jordan, South Korea suffered its first-ever defeat to them.

In this tournament, S. Korea had faced Jordan earlier and the game ended in a 2-2 draw. However, this time S. Korea was completely defeated due to mistakes made by their own players, resulting in both goals being conceded.

Jordan, which has been the biggest surprise of the tournament, will face the winner of the Iran-Qatar match in the finals on Feb. 11, at midnight(Korean time). With S. Korea eliminated, the only remaining team from Southeast Asia, the competition for the tournament’s title is now centered around Middle Eastern teams.