Korea Republic 2-1 (AET) Bahrain
It was a beautiful afternoon at the Al Rashid Stadium when Korea Republic met Bahrain for the chance to make the Asian Cup 2019 quarter-finals. The Asian Red Devils were heavy favourites to crush a fledgeling Bahrain side that was supposedly out to punch the moon.
However, this game turned out to be quite a battle for the Taeguk Warriors as the Al Ahmar took them to their absolute limits. The sun may have set on Bahrain’s Asian Cup dreams, but the quality of Asian Cup 2019 highlights they provided us will stick for a good while.
Highlights of the game
There is much pressure on the Al-Ahmar to fend off a strong Korean attack in order to keep their hopes of making the quarter-final alive. They saw how Son Heung-Min overwhelmed China, so Miroslav Soukoup chose to clog the middle in order to cushion the Tottenham star’s breakthrough power.
Bahrain started well after making two shot attempts within the first 15 minutes, but Mohamed Marhoon and Sayed Isa fluffed their chances. It’s actually the Koreans who are dictating the pact of the game: the few times Bahrain have actually succeeded in breaking past the Koreans were on the break.
Twenty minutes have passed, and Korea still haven’t broken through the resolute Bahrain line. They have started threading in crosses from the wings, but the Al-Ahmar were able to fend them off by clogging the lanes and roughhousing the Koreans. In fact, Ali Madan got a yellow card for kicking Son Heung-Min in the face during a challenge for the football.
Korea finally broke through in the 32nd minute. Son Heung-Min was left without a marker and immediately rocketed towards the goal. The stellar Tottenham attacker fired a pass towards Hwang Eui-Jo, but Sayed Shubbar managed to get to the ball before the 26-year-old striker completed any moves.
Bahrain almost completed a brilliant move for the opener when they managed to get to a quick counter on 42 minutes. However, Mohamed Al Rohaimi was caught offside. It was after this moment that the Koreans managed to end the first half with a fantastic goal.
Lee Yong was freed from the right and fired a quick corner. Hwang Eui-Jo and Shubbar battled for the ball, and the Bahrain backline managed to push the ball away. Unfortunately for their resolute defence, it landed in front of Hwang Hee-Chan. The Hamburger SV man wasted no time and fired a low-driven shot to an open goal for the opening goal and the first-half closer.
The second half picked up where the game left off, and Korea noticeably had more space to operate as both Soukoup and Paulo Bento made their adjustments. The Taeguk Warriors dominated had control of the football during the early minutes of the reset.
However, the Al-Ahmar began looking organised as they start putting together runs towards Korea’s final third from the 55th minute onwards. The men in red mostly managed to dispossess their opponents before they found their equaliser, though.
While their efforts weren’t producing any results, it was obvious that their persistence was starting to pay off. The Koreans were starting to lose their grip on the match as Bahrain continue to push hard for the result.
It finally paid dividends when they managed an equaliser on 77 minutes. A brilliant pass saw the ball end up with Mahdi Al-Humaidan, who immediately fired a bullet towards goal. Kim Seung-Gyu managed to push the ball, but Al Rohaimi was there to collect the rebound and pound it to the net.
The last minutes of regulation saw Korea try to poach another goal from a Bahrain team that’s determined to get to extra time. Forwards Ji Dong-Won and Ju Se-Jong were brought in, but they weren’t just enough time to for them to snatch a goal in regulation.
Korea started extra time in attack mode, trying to snatch an early goal. However, Bahrain were just defending with their lives. Moreover, Shubbar couldn’t carry on, and Abdulkarim Fardan had to step in.
They eventually got back on top on the dying embers of the extra time’s first half: Lee Yong rushed the right and launched a cross to the far post. Kim Jin-Su, who came in at the 96th minute, headed the ball in. The Korean delegation at the stadium erupted in cheers.
The winner took a huge burden off Korean’s shoulders as they finished the game as clinical as they could be. The Al-Ahmar admirably did everything they could to defy the Korea Republic vs Bahrain betting tips, but they just fell short of the mark.
Key statistics
Korea completely overwhelmed their opponents. They had total control of the football during the first half, holding the ball for 70% of the 120-minute classic. Bahrain managed to fight back a bit in the second half and extra time, but they weren’t able to peel the ball off the Koreans for extended periods of time.
However, Bahrain slightly edged them in goal attempts. Bahrain had 17 shot attempts with four of those threatening the Korean goalmouth. Their aggressive tactics resulted in quite a high disciplinary record as well: they got 18 fouls and two yellow cards for their rough-housing.
What’s next?
Many of the fans watching the SBOBET Asian Cup 2019 markets will definitely provide Korea with great odds throughout their run in the tournament. The Taeguk Warriors will be playing Qatar/Iraq in the quarter-finals, and nobody is expecting them to drop points now.
However, Bahrain have shown their Middle Eastern neighbours that hard work, determination, and a bit of luck can rattle even the toughest of sides.
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