Strain is on Jurgen Klinsmann after South Korea shocked by Jordan in Asian Cup semis

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Doug McIntyre

Soccer Journalist

After beating Saudi Arabia on penalties and Australia in additional time, Jurgen Klinsmann-coached Korea Republic appeared destined to succeed in an AFC Asian Cup remaining for the primary time since 1960.

Jordan had different concepts. The Center Jap nation shocked the South Koreans in Tuesday’s match semifinal in Qatar, with second-half targets by Yazan Al-Naimat and Musa Al-Taamari propelling the Jordanians to a 2-0 victory and a spot in Saturday’s championship match in opposition to both the host nation or Iran. Qatar and Iran will meet on Wednesday within the different semifinal.

It is a momentous victory for Jordan, which has by no means reached the Asian Cup remaining within the 68-year historical past of the competitors. For Korea Republic, Tuesday’s defeat represents a colossal disappointment. Whereas the Taegeuk Warriors tied each Jordan and Malaysia within the first spherical and completed second behind Bahrain in Group E, they rebounded by reeling off consecutive knockout wins to succeed in the ultimate 4. The exhausting half, it appeared, was accomplished.

Ranked third in Asia by FIFA, Klinsmann’s crew was closely favored to outlive Tuesday’s contest in opposition to No. 13 Jordan and go on to play for the title. South Korea boasts a authentic all-planet attacker in crew captain and Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min — whose free-kick objective within the 104th minute was the distinction in opposition to the Socceroos — and two different bona fide European standouts in Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in and Hwang Hee-chan of Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers.

However Klinsmann’s techniques had been closely criticized by South Korea’s media and followers alike through the uninspiring group stage efficiency on the continental championship, and this was their worst efficiency but. Total, the outcomes below Klinsmann have been poor.

Employed by South Korea precisely 12 months in the past, shortly after the two-time Asian champs reached the spherical of 16 on the 2022 World Cup, the 59-year-old German was the nation’s highest-profile rent since Dutchman Guus Hiddink famously led the 2002 World Cup co-hosts to the semis of soccer’s marquee occasion.

However Klinsmann’s first impression wasn’t nice. He did not win any of his first 5 video games in cost and likewise drew the ire of the Korean press for commuting to the job from his longtime residence in Southern California, inviting questions on his dedication to the mission.

These points have all been recurring themes for Klinsmann at his earlier managerial stops. Klinsmann — who as a participant was probably the greatest strikers of the Nineties, serving to Germany win a World Cup and a European Championship — coached the United States from 2011-16 and Die Mannschaft earlier than that. He is additionally been the supervisor at Bundesliga golf equipment Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin. None of these jobs ended notably effectively for Klinsmann, with the potential exception of Germany’s third-place end on the 2006 World Cup on residence soil.

Now, after seeing his squad eradicated from the Asian Cup in such beautiful vogue, the stress on Klinsmann will solely improve. His contract runs by way of the 2026 World Cup. Whether or not Klinsmann remains to be South Korea’s boss by then stays to be seen.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer author for FOX Sports activities. Earlier than becoming a member of FOX Sports activities in 2021, he was a workers author with ESPN and Yahoo Sports activities and he has coated United States males’s and girls’s nationwide groups at a number of FIFA World Cups. Observe him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.