Doha: Korea Republic captain Yeon Jei-min has called for his side to improve when they take on Qatar in the semi-finals of the AFC U23 Championship next Tuesday.
The South Koreans advanced to the last four of the tournament on Saturday after claiming a 1-0 quarter-final victory over Jordan at the Suhail bin Hamad Stadium.
Moon Chang-jin grabbed the only goal of the game in the 23rd minute when he pounced on a loose ball inside the area and calmly curled a shot into the back of the net.
However, it was far from a convincing victory as the Jordanians constantly threatened to equalise, with Baha’ Faisal even having a close-range header ruled out for offside midway through the second half.
And having seen his side do just enough to book their place in the semis, centre-back Yeon (pictured above wearing 5) admits they have to find some improvement fast if they are to continue their progress when they meet hosts Qatar.
“I’m not satisfied with our performance,” he told the-afc.com.
“We played well in the first half but, in the second half, our levels went down.
“I think the difference in the level of our performance was huge, so we need to address that when we meet Qatar in the semi-finals.
The Suwon Samsung Bluewings man identified the defence as an area that needed to step up, especially with Qatar boasting plenty of attacking threat in the likes of Ali Assadalla and Akram Afif.
And if they are able to keep the Qataris at bay, and play to the level they are capable of, he is confident they can progress to the final and, in the process, also seal their place at the upcoming 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
“First, we have to concentrate on our defence because Qatar have some sharp offensive players,” explained Yeon.
“We need to improve at the back and make sure that we don’t concede any goals.
“After which, we need to play our game and, if we can do that, we can defeat Qatar.”
The hosts had booked their last-four berth on Friday after recording a 2-1 extra-time triumph over DPR Korea, with Afif and Assadalla both getting on the scoresheet.
Photo: AFC
Source: the-afc.com