As the clock strikes 3 o'clock at dawn on December 6, the Chinese fans are eagerly awaiting the final 8 of the tournament, which will see East Asian powerhouse South Korea battling it out with the five-time champion Brazilian powerhouse. Many people have already predicted in advance that the winner of this battle seems to have already been determined.
However, the writer firmly believes in the round ball nature of soccer, which always comes with unpredictable variables. Even though Brazil puts a lot of pressure on South Korea in terms of strength, it will not be easy for them to compete against each other.
Let's compare the overall strength of the two teams. Brazil tops the world table with a market capitalization of 1.05 billion euros, while South Korea is 28th in the world with only 140 million euros, with most of the contribution coming from Son Heung-jin. It may seem like Korea's chances of winning are slim, but Brazil is strong, but not at its best. If South Korea can capture Brazil's weaknesses, the possibility of a comeback is not entirely out of the question.
First of all, the Brazilian team is currently short of manpower, and injuries have seriously weakened the original fighting force. Neymar was injured in the first round of the group stage and his condition is unknown; players such as Danilo, Ales Sandro, Jesus and Teles were also injured one after another, and striker Jesus even announced his withdrawal from the World Cup. Such a Brazilian team, compared with the former peak, the fighting force is greatly reduced.
Secondly, the South Korean team, which recently beat the Ronaldo-led Portugal 2-1, is highly demoralized and confident, with a strong desire to win. Brazil, on the other hand, suffered a major morale blow after their 0-1 defeat against Cameroon. South Korea also seemed to have the upper hand from a mental point of view.
The match is expected to be exceptionally tight, and it may be difficult to separate the winners from the losers in 90 minutes of regular time. If it goes to extra time, South Korea may be able to capitalize on the opportunity to win a marathon match. A bold prediction is that South Korea could narrowly defeat Brazil in a penalty shootout and advance to the World Cup last eight in a blowout.
