South Korea played in the last 8 of the Asian Cup on Friday (2) and fought with Australia for 120 minutes before defeating them to advance to the final. After the match, South Korean fans described the performance of the "Taiji Tigers" as "zombie soccer", but South Korean manager Kieran Swann said he didn't mind the title, while Son Heung-min, the man who was responsible for the win, believed that the win would only make the team more united.
Following the elimination of Saudi Arabia in the AFC Cup Round of 16, South Korea's Round of 8 match with Australia went to extra time before Son Heung-min scored the winning penalty to beat their opponents. Both knockout matches were played after they were first down, and it was only in extra time that they scored the equalizer and finally escaped from the dead. Australia easily beat Indonesia in the round of 16 and had 2 more days of rest than South Korea, but at the end of the match, when the Australian players were close to their physical limit, the South Korean players seemed to have inexhaustible energy, and their fighting spirit was amazing.
When the final whistle blew for the last 8 match, it was already late at night in South Korea, but there were still a lot of fans who had to endure the night to watch the live broadcast. After the match, some South Korean fans used the term "zombie soccer" to describe South Korea's undefeatable performance. Kieran Swann was asked about his opinion on the title when he attended the post-match press conference and responded with a smile, "I don't mind, South Korea has not won the Asian Cup for more than 60 years, and the nation has great expectations for the team, and this kind of thinking may have affected the team's performance in the first half, but after the loss we have no other way back but to speed up the tempo of the game and create chances, and we can see in the eyes of the South Korean players that they are eager to play a performance that will make the nation proud. We can see in the eyes of the South Korean players that they are eager to play a game that the nation can be proud of."
