Lee Kang-in guides South Korea to 3-1 Asian Cup win over Bahrain

AL RAYYAN – South Korea passed a physical test from Bahrain to win their Asian Cup Group E opener 3-1 on Jan 15, thanks to Lee Kang-in’s second-half brace at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

With the score tied at 1-1 after goals from Hwang In-beom and Bahrain’s Abdullah Al-Hashash, the Paris Saint-Germain player turned on the style with two lethal strikes that had the South Korean fans at the 15,000-capacity arena screaming in delight.

Said Lee: “No one on our team, be it players or coaches, thought this was going to be an easy match. We had some good moments and not-so-good moments in this one...

“Whether we concede a goal or score a goal, we always try to keep playing our game. After giving up that goal, we just wanted to get one right back. I am just happy to have helped the team.

“Everyone in the locker room and people back home are waiting for this trophy we haven’t won in 64 years. We’re motivated, but it’s still too early to talk about winning the championship.”

The stop-start encounter had plenty of fouls in the first half and although there was no malice in the challenges, South Korea had three players on yellow cards in the first half hour – including centre-back Kim Min-jae.

In fact, South Korea coach Jurgen Klinsmann took out his star defender to protect the Bayern Munich man from being sent off.

The German said: “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy playing Bahrain, it turned out to be scrappy with a number of yellow cards today. It was a tricky game and had a lot to do with the Chinese referee (Ma Ning) giving too many yellow cards early. That’s why I took off Min-jae, because if they made a slight foul he’d get sent off.”

South Korea took the lead through a quick flowing move down the left wing which was finished off by Hwang on 38 minutes.

Bahrain came out fighting in the second half and they were duly rewarded six minutes in when Al-Hashash found space in the box and slotted home into the bottom corner.

However, South Korea were not deterred and the East Asian side restored their lead five minutes later through Lee, who pulled the trigger from outside the box and saw his superb effort curl into the net.

The PSG playmaker doubled his tally soon after when he received the ball inside the box from Hwang, escaped his marker with some quick feet and curled another shot past goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfalla inside the far post.

His second took him joint-top of the tournament’s scoring charts alongside Qatar’s Akram Afif and Takumi Minamino of Japan.

South Korean skipper Son Heung-min had a late opportunity to score when he was released into the box but his shot went wide, while the Tottenham Hotspur forward was also booked for simulation later when he attempted to win a penalty.

In the later Group D game, Iraq beat Indonesia 3-1. Marselino Ferdinan equalised for the South-east Asian side but the West Asian team scored twice more.

Another Asian Cup contender also sounded a warning. Iran beat Palestine 4-1 in their Asian Cup Group C opener on Jan 14 at the Education City Stadium, in a football masterclass from the three-time champions.

But Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei was not entirely impressed with his team’s performance, saying: “We’re happy with the result, but not the quality of the performance. Scoring early made it easier for us. I’m satisfied with the players but, in general, we expect more from them.”

Goals from Karim Ansarifard, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Mehdi Ghayedi and Sardar Azmoun gave Iran full points, while Tamer Seyam scored a consolation for Palestine, who are still seeking their first win at the Asian Cup on their third outing.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia coach Roberto Mancini criticised the players who left the national camp ahead of the tournament due to a potential lack of playing time.

Goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi, midfielder Salman Al-Faraj and fullback Sultan Al-Ghannam were excluded by Mancini ahead of the tournament and the Italian said they were all in the initial list of players called up.

“They were on the list. Salman told me he doesn’t want to play in the friendly games. I asked Sultan if he was happy to play and he told me he wasn’t happy,” Mancini said on Jan 15, ahead of their group opener against Oman on Jan 16.

“Players don’t decide if they play or not, I decide. Nawaf told me he’d come but the day after, in Riyadh, he said he didn’t want to come. We tried to speak with him and put him on the list. Three days ago, he went to our goalkeeper coach and said ‘I don’t want to stay here if I don’t get to play’. I only want players who fight for their country... This is a very strange situation and it’s the first time I’ve experienced this.” REUTERS, AFP