South Korea advanced to the next round of the Asian Cup after a 120-minute battle with Australia in Friday's Asian Cup quarterfinals. After the game, South Korean fans used the curious term "zombie soccer" to describe the Tigers' resilient performance. South Korea's manager Ki Lianshiwen was open-minded and said he didn't mind the nickname, while Son Heung-min said the victory would make the team more united.
After knocking out Saudi Arabia in the AFC Cup Round of 16 with an exchange of 12-yard shots, South Korea battled Australia to extra time in the Round of 8 before Son Heung-min's fatal strike sealed the win. In both knockout matches, the South Koreans came from behind to score in extra time to escape with their lives. Although Australia easily beat Indonesia in the Round of 16 and had two more days of rest than South Korea, the South Korean players seemed to have a constant flow of energy late in the match when the Aussies were nearing the end of their stamina, a remarkable display of fighting spirit.
When the final whistle blew in the middle of the night in South Korea, many fans stayed up to watch the game live. After the match, one South Korean fan used the term "zombie soccer" to describe the team's indomitable spirit. Asked to comment on the title at the post-match press conference, Kiren Shiwen responded with a smile: "I don't care, South Korea hasn't won the Asian Cup for more than 60 years, and the nation has high hopes for the team. Such thoughts may have affected the team's performance in the first half, but once we fell behind, there was no turning back, and we had to speed up the pace of the game to create chances. I could see in the eyes of the South Korean players that they were eager to give a proud performance for their nation."
