Tensions are high off the field, too. The Red Devils will be cheering on Jordan’s Middle East dominance.
Jürgen Klinsmann’s South Korea national football team will face Jordan in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 2023 Qatar Asian Cup at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, 카지노사이트 Qatar, on July 7 at 0:00 p.m. ET.
South Korea reached the semifinals after back-to-back 120-minute thrillers. In the Round of 16, they tied Saudi Arabia 1-1 before winning on penalties, and in the quarterfinals, Son Heung-min’s free-kick in the first half of extra time gave them a 2-1 victory. Both matches featured dramatic late equalizers in stoppage time.
Jordan defeated Iraq and Tajikistan to advance. They scored two late goals to complete a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Iraq in the Round of 16, and followed that up with a 1-0 win over the ‘team of the moment’, Tajikistan. It is the first time in history that Jordan has reached the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup.
Now, South Korea and Jordan will face off for a spot in the final. It’s a return match in about two weeks. The two teams already met in the group stage. In their first meeting, they were unable to find a winner in a hard-fought 2-2 draw.
The match is expected to be overwhelmingly supported by Jordan’s Arab fans. The 45,000-capacity Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium is already expected to be sold out. About 40,000 of the 45,000 seats are expected to be filled with Jordanian fans.
Two to three hours before kickoff, the area around the stadium was filled with fervent cheering. There were Jordanian fans everywhere. They even had their songs blasting from the speakers and were dancing wildly.
But the Red Devils were no less numerous. They gathered just outside the stadium entrance and started chanting two hours before kickoff. Compared to the previous matches against Saudi Arabia and Australia, there were definitely more of them. It was reported that thousands of fans came to the stadium, more than expected, as tickets were provided by the Qatar Korean Association.
The Red Devils, numbering around 100, sang loudly in response to their leader’s calls. There were also many foreign fans wearing Korean flags. Foreign media were also busy with their cameras to capture the scene.
A Jordanian fan runs into the crowd. A Jordanian fan jumped into the middle of a circle of cheering Red Devils.
He was wearing a Jordanian jersey and kept chanting “Jordan, Jordan, Jordan!” to disrupt the cheering. Not only did he hold the traditional Arab garb aloft, but he also waved his sword from side to side, taunting them with “no-no-no-no”. A fan with the Algerian national anthem draped over his shoulder jumped into the fray.
Luckily, it didn’t escalate into a major clash. The Korean fans were urged by their leader to ignore it and show our support. The game hasn’t even started yet, but the Red Devils are already facing the Jordanian sandy winds from outside the stadium.