Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Korea Republic coach Shin Tae-yong celebrated securing his nation’s qualification for the finals of the Olympic Games football tournament with victory over Qatar on Tuesday by setting his sights on a medal in Rio de Janeiro in August.
Shin’s team scored two late goals through Kwon Chang-hoon and Moon Chang-jin to also claim a place in the final of the AFC U23 Championship, where they will meet Japan at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on Saturday.
“The first goal of the tournament was to get a ticket to Brazil and our team has accomplished the first goal, but the final goal is to win the championship so in that context it will be a complicated game,” said Shin of the final.
“I had hoped our final game would be against Japan and the fans in Japan and Korea are expecting this match. I think both countries can represent the continent and the East Asian Football Federation and we will play in the manner of fair play.
“But I just want to enjoy this moment and I will think about this game tomorrow.”
Ryu Seung-woo gave Korea the lead in the 48th minute but a 79th minute goal from Ahmed Alaa looked set to take the game into extra-time, only for Kwon and Moon to strike in the 89th and 95th minutes respectively to seal qualification for both the final and Rio de Janeiro.
“When we allowed the equaliser it was a very risky moment because the atmosphere changed,” said Shin.
“All of a sudden Qatar had the chance, but they missed it and that gave us the opportunity to score. But it was a risky moment.”
Korea Republic’s successful qualification for the Olympic Games extends the nation’s record of consecutive appearances at the Olympiad to eight – the most ever by an Asian nation.
“I didn’t think about the eight consecutive qualifications and I didn’t think about the bronze medal Korea won in London in 2012,” said Shin, who previously steered Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma to the AFC Champions League title in 2010.
“I was just thinking about this tournament and that we wanted to go to Brazil. I didn’t think about the previous record, but the media created an atmosphere around me and increased the pressure.
“But I felt that if I fell down, my team would fall down too, so I tried to keep my concentration and we are now going to Brazil. So now can start to think about the colour of the medal we can get in Brazil.”
Photo: AFC