Final thoughts
I’m spent, ladies and gentleman. You’re spent. Imagine how the Socceroos and the Koreans feel. Both teams gave it everything tonight. Korea can be proud and they deserved their late late equaliser. But what an effort from Australia to put that disappointment behind them and get on top in extra time. Postecoglou has done a brilliant job with this team and deserves all the plaudits. The future looks bright for Australian football.
And as the trophy presentation gets underway, I’ll leave you with the news that Robbie Kruse has just come on to the field on crutches, his left foot in a moon boot. At the sight of him his teammates rush over to embrace him, one big happy family.
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From somewhere the Socceroos have received —and put on— shirts that are more or less identical to the ones they wore in the game except these ones all have ‘Champions’ written across the back. I imagine had the Socceroos lost the game these would have been taken out the back, put into an incinerator and torched lest word of their existence got out.
Here are some words from Postecoglou that I won’t claim are exact but you’ll get the gist:
“I’m not good for words right now. I’m super proud of everyone; players, staff, the whole organisation. I couldn’t be happier. It was tough, a real final; you have to grind those out sometimes. The courage the players showed was enormous.
“My only concern [after the late equaliser] was that after that heartbreak we couldn’t pick ourselves up [mentally]. But I knew we were fit, I knew we had half an hour of petrol in is, and I didn’t think they did.
“I know the whole country will be off their couches and won’t sleep tonight. Hopefully from now on us Aussies can take on the world. Not just these guys. I’ve got real belief in Aussie footballers.”
Ange Postecoglou is striding the sideline punching the air, fanning the fans’ roars and cheers with his arms. The Socceroos are arm in arm jumping up and down like some Antipodean marsupial the name of which escapes me.
Fulltime: Australia 2-1 South Korea
What. A. Game
Updated
And that's the whistle! Australia have done it!!
And the Socceroos collapse into puddles of spent bodies!
ET 30 + 1 min: A mad scramble in the Australia area! The ball is pin-balling all over the joint but it runs over the byline as the ref whistles a Korea offside...
ET 30: There will be one additional minute! Korea in possession, a throw in midway in their own half... They surge down the left...
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ET 29: Troisi does very well to hold off three red shirts to try and find Juric in space but Korea just press him into an error.
And again Korea push forward. But their effort ends with a chipped ball forward that Ryan rushes out to meet and double fists clear. Offisde, however, and Australia get a chance to breathe.
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ET 27: Cha Du-ri tries to get on the outside of Davidson and does well enough to find room for a cross but he hits it straight to Ryan.
ET 26: A Korea throw deep on the right. Damn this is tense! Ki holds off Troisi but the ball is turned over and a Socceroo, not sure who, just kicks it downfield to no-one.
ET 25: Lovely work by Ki on the left, weaving in and out and passing with the outside of his left boot to Kim Jin-Su. Kim would have got to that an hour ago but not this time as Milligan clears.
ET 23: Korea are coming again! Wave after wave and Australia resort to booting it over the sideline.
ET 21: Matt Ryan hoofs a goal kick forward. Not playing out from the back now—not that you can blame them.
ET 20: Korea’s Kim Jin-Su ‘delaps’ a throw into the Australia box but they scramble it clear.
ET 19: A great penalty shout for Australia as Kim Young-Gwon clatters into the back of Leckie. But no.
Now Juric is freed on the right but he decides against a right foot shot from the right of the box and cuts in on his left. He shouldn’t have.
ET 18: Australia have done remarkably well to get over that goal and I’d say they’ve had the better of extra time.
Meantime, Nick Mangafas keeps it short nd sweet: “Come on!!!!”
ET 16: Davidson stifles Korea with some lovely defending but there’s no time to admire his handy work as Australia nip downfield. But Juric is called offside when he takes the ball of McKay’s feet when McKay (who wasn’t offside) just might have fashioned a shot.
ET halftime changeover
Just time for a drink and we are back on! What an exhausting game to watch. I dare say it’s exhausting to play too.
Updated
GOAL! Australia 2-1 Korea (Troisi ET 15)
scorrrrrrres!!!!
Updated
ET 15: Juric scraps with Kim for the ball on the byline... They are at it for an age, Juric even goes down. But he gets back up and wriggles clear, crossing across the face of goal! Kim dives at it deflecting it into the path of Troisi. Troisi.....
ET 12: Korea, who’ve been defending for the past five or so minutes, push forward. And the goalscorer Son Heung-min races inside before playing a reverse pass to Kim Jin-Su overlapping. He gets to the byline and crosses but it’s too close to Ryan who gets it to safety.
ET 10: In traffic on the right Luongo crosses cleverly to Troisi and Juric, shoulder to shoulder, and it might have found one of them had keeper Kim not dived forward at full stretch to punch it away!
ET 9: Ryan intercepts the ball about 20 yards outside his own box. He doesn’t get it cleanly, however, and just when you think Korea might take advantage you realise the linesman had spotted a Korea offside.
ET 7: Spiranovic, already on a yellow, is a little lucky to be on the park. Lee Keun-ho slides into a 50/50 and Spiranovic gets there a split second later, his slightly airborne boot missing the ball and taking Lee’s ankle.
ET 6: The entire Korea team are behind the ball as Australia probe, but in this passage they are like a dentist with a blunt tool.
ET 4: Neither team is in a hurry to restart play when the ball goes out. Fatigue is setting in.
ET 2: Korea continue to press Australia but the Socceroos enjoy a brief period of possession.
But here’s our first cramp victim, Jang Hyun-soo. Our commentators are giving it to the ref for allowing him to be treated, delaying a Leckie throw-in. That led to nothing.
Peeep!
Here we go again...
You’d have to say Korea have the edge now. Australia have to put that late goal behind them. Easier said than done, of course.
Thomas Walker has been robbed of a cracking breakfast: “Update from New York - my American girlfriend and I were getting ready to pop the corks on a champagne brekky, then the news of that Korean goal came through... Got a bad feeling about extra time. We need Cahill on the pitch.”
End of regulation time
And we’ll play 30 minutes of extra time. I don’t know how any of these players will last. I don’t know I’ll last!
90 + 2 min: Australia were almost there when Korea exchanged some short sharp passes on the edge of the box. Ki slipped a ball through to Son who ran in on goal as Ryan tried to cut down the angle. But Son kept his cool and with almost the last kick of regulation time found the back of the net from close range. Heartbreaking for Australia, but you can’t say Korea didn’t deserve it.
Updated
GOAL! Australia 1-1 Korea (Son Heung-min 92)
Oh my!
Updated
90 min: Australia win a freekick deep in their own half as we tick into the 90th minute. They are not in a rush to take it. When they do it is sent deep, deep, deep. Juric ends up with it but his half-hearted attempt at a cross ends up in a goalkick to Korea. They pum it forward...
There will be three minutes of extra time...
88 min: Korea sub but so quick are they to make it that I missed the names! And still the actions ebbs and flows to a soundtrack of a screams from the crowd. Minutes left!
87 min: A chance, but Troisi skews one wide with his left after dribbling across the Korea box.
85 min: Australia push forward with Leckie but Kim Young-Gwon dispossess him and immediately launches a counter. But Korea just can’t create a clear opportunity as Australia dig in.
Updated
83 min: Still Korea, as Australia seem to be dropping deeper and deeper. Korea win a free-kick, 35 yards out, dead centre. Son Heung-min walks back like he’s about to attempt a long-range penalty at Eden Park. And he hits it in the same manner, sending it high over the bar.
81 min: Another turnover, by McKay this time, winds up with Korean danger man Ki. Korea work it from one flank to another but Kim Jin-Su’s cross from the left isn’t great. To be fair he’s put in a hell of a shift, Kim, and must be knackered.
80 min: Just 10 minutes to go! Troisi wins a free kick after shielding the ball with some skill but Australia turn it over straight away. Such is the Korean pressure.
79 min: Clare Lawrence is still wondering what that card for Kruse was for. “He’s off injured, hardly a dive!”
77 min: It’s still end to end stuff but here Kim Young-Gwon gives it up and Leckie picks up the crumbs and advances into dangerous areas. He squares to Troisi. Troisi makes room for a shot but not enough. It’s blocked and loops to Kim in goal.
75 min: Juric is taken down 30 yards out and Australia are awarded a freekick. But Australia chose to pass it around instead of putting it in the mixer. They lose the ball.
74 min: Now Franjic walks off, unable to continue. Matt McKay comes on in his stead. Milligan to right fullback, MacKay into midfield.
73 min: Ryan clears up a very dangerous cross that Australia failed to deal with. Cha on the right whistled one across and it seemed to hit Jedinak on the stomach before sitting up in the box, tempting the Koreans.
70 min: With Australia a man down Korea are firing, and Ryan is forced into a save from a shot close to the byline. Australia race forward now... this is crazy stuff. Gallons of cordial must have been drunk at the break.
Troisi is on. Kruse is on a stretcher being carried around the ground as he’d limped off the far touchline.
68 min: Kruse has come back on but he can’t run. As Troisi readies himself on the sideline Korea charge forward. What was that yellow for? Did he say something untoward to the ref or did the ref think he was faking?
67 min: Kruse is in all sorts of discomfort. He went down untouched and replays suggest his Achilles has gone. Showing no sympathy whatsoever the referee gives him a card.
65 min: Kruse just fails to make the most of a great position by not getting a shot away in traffic. Now he’s gone done injured at the same time as Jedinak picks up a booking.
Another backhanded compliment, this one from Thomas Walker in New York. “5am on a bitterly cold night here in New York City. I’m lying in bed on the Upper West Side following your commentary - nothing live on the telly so you’re the best I’ve got. Cheers!”
62 min: Franjic is wincing, and remember he struggled with an ankle injury all week. But he’s not going to be replaced. Cahill is! He’s off for Tomi Juric. Is that the last time we see Cahill play on these shores? Just in case it is he gets a mighty reception. One can only presume Ange felt Cahill’s legs were gone, or at least going.
Updated
60 min: Leckie stings the keeper’s hands with an angled left-foot shot! From the resulting corner Cahill gets a header in but sends it wide to the right. He’s scored those before so by his standards he’ll be disappointed.
59 min: Spiranovic picks up a yellow for some rough housing. That’s three of Australia’s back four on a yellow now. That could have some bearing on the result.
57 min: Cahill chips it forward to Leckie but despite tacking like a yacht in a race to the line he can’t get find a shot, or a teammate.
55 min: Korea stretch Australia with a wide ball to Park on the left but he can’t find the man with his cross. A minute later Park is found again in space but with two men ahead of him, including Kim Jin-Su, he dinks it weakly and Australia win possession.
53 min: Australia waste a rare foray forward with a too-deep free kick that Luongo can only just get a head on.
Nick Magafas, in Perchtoldsdorf, Lower Austria, has another request for Luongo.
Hmm, we may be singing our songs too soon. So that’ll be the last of them until we’re done.
50 min: This half has started in a similar manner to the first, with red shirts pushing into Australia’s half and harassing the Socceroos whenever they are on the ball.
47 min: Korea work it around in Australia’s final third and Australia concede a throw in. Moments later, on the left, Park gives Franjic some grief, as he’s done all night, but in attempting to cross the ball Park kicks it into Franjic. For a corner. But Korea can’t make anything of it.
Peeeeeeeeep!
And here we go. Just 45 minutes between Australia and the Asian Cup. And here’s Cahill put on his backside after a strong challenge. As we were, then.
Alan Cory watches from fields afar and gives me a compliment. I think. “Keep the words coming, Paul. I’m in Berlin and you’re the best updates I can get for free.
Like!!”
@Socceroos If @Tim_Cahill is the king, then @MassLuongo is the rightful heir to the throne! #GoSocceroos #AUSvKOR
— Tino Moreno (@Spexicano) January 31, 2015
Late night requests? Here’s a song going out to Massimo Luongo:
Stats, man:
.@socceroos Half time stats: Korea Republic 0-1 Australia #AC2015 #ACFinal pic.twitter.com/F95wo5VSWO
— AFC Asian Cup (@afcasiancup) January 31, 2015
Half time stats: Korea Republic 0-1 Australia #AC2015 #ACFinal pic.twitter.com/Icqr3VliIY
— AFC Asian Cup (@afcasiancup) January 31, 2015
Anyone miss the goal? Phil Withall did. I feel for you, Phil. I’ve been there (not tonight, though). “Left the room in an attempt to calm a six year old who doesn’t want a shower and came back to see it was 1-0. I’m used to this sort of thing happening watching cricket but an Asian cup final?! Not happy.”
Yet you’re happy the goal was scored. Is that a Pyrrhic victory?
What can the Korea coach say to get his men fired up after that glorious kick in the undercarriage?
Half-time
45 + 2 min: What an end to a hectic half of football that has flown by. Korea will be gutted to be behind. Australia have given themselves an incredible chance now.
45 min: That goal! Sainsbury measured a lovely pass from deep that bypassed Korea’s midfield. Luongo, standing with his back to goal, turned on the ball with a deft touch on his right. Facing the goal now he unleashed from 30 yards and sent a low altitude rocket into the bottom right corner!
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GOAL! Australia 1-0 Korea (Luongo 45)
What a belter?! How do you say ‘against the run of play’ in Korean?
Updated
43 min: Leckie gives away a free-kick in Korea’s half when contesting a ball against Park. Park fell and Leckie trod on his ankle, but I don’t think there was any intent.
41 min: A yellow to Davidson for holding the jersey of Jang Hyun-soo. Was it inside the box? Just outside says the ref. Just indeed. Korea line up a free-kick a few centimetres outside the box, dead centre... But Korea’s Ki attempts what looked like a panenka and Ryan catches his tame shot with no trouble.
38 min: And Son again comes close! Lee Jeong-Hyeop in midfield put the ball ahead of Cha Du-ri who squares to Son. His first-time shot looks goal-bound until a sliding Luongo gets a boot to it to send it looping over the bar! Korea on the charge!
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37 min: What a shot from Son Heung-min! Kim Jin-Su skips past Franjic and from the byline dinks in a deep cross that Son volleys on his left, just wide of Ryan’s right-hand post!
36 min: The commentators have been talking up Mark Milligan. But not as much as this bloke:
If Milligan isn't the best player in the A-league I'll give up a testicle #Socceroos #AUSvKOR
— Volkan Kalayci (@volk10) January 31, 2015
34 min: Franjic and Nam Tae-hee cross paths and Franjic, eyes only for the man in red, shoulders him well clear of the ball. It was like Nam jumped from a moving train the way he came to earth. No foul, though, just good hard football.
32 min: Davidson and Leckie exchange passes on the left, perhaps for the first time tonight. The pair gave China all kinds of grief during the semi and Korea seem intent of stamping on any blazes they attempt to light.
29 min: Some nice midfield passing by Australia comes to an end when Luongo is shoved over. Moments later Kruse drills a grass-cutting cross at Cahill on the six-yard box but there are too many red shirts in its path.
Just heard there are an estimated 20,000 Korean fans in the building. Nice effort, though Peter Oh says his countrymen and women are making it sound like a One Direction concert. I wouldn’t know what that sounds like, Peter.
27 min: It’s anyone’s at the moment, and both teams will be pleased they are now getting a better sight of goal. Here’s Cahill’s shot, frozen in place:
24' @Tim_Cahill breaks but his shot is straight at Kim Jin-hyeon! Frantic few minutes in Sydney! #ACFinal #AC2015 pic.twitter.com/Q5Wlb849Zi
— AFC Asian Cup (@afcasiancup) January 31, 2015
24 min: And from the free kick Kwak Tae-Hwi heads wide to Ryan’s right despite rising unopposed to Ki Sung-Yueng’s outswinger! He should have done better, surely.
Countering, Leckie feeds Kruse out wide and his nice inside ball finds Cahill on the edge of the Korea box. Cahill’s first touch takes him wide of Kwak but his snap angled shot can’t beat Kim Jin Hyeon in goals. Good counter, Straya.
22 min: At the risk of getting ahead of myself I’m feeling Korea have slowed a little... but here you go, Park chases an Australia back-pass and Matt Ryan has to get his skates on to get it away.
Now Luongo chops down an overlapping Kim Jin-Su on the left. Free kick....
21 min: Is it just me or is it bloody hot in here?! My head feels like a baboon’s arse looks. I was out in the sun today but I did have a hat on and wore sunscreen. I think it’s the game.
Jang goes down clutching his ankle after he and Milligan contested a loose ball vigorously. Like the Boxing Day sales it was no place for the faint-hearted.
19 min: Very tense stuff this, particularly due to the intensity of South Korea. Anyone finding it hard to breathe, Phil Withall has a remedy via Black Books:
17 min: A succession of throw-ins to Korea on the right flank ends when Jedinak intercepts... but he then gives it away with a sloppy pass. Moments earlier he’d shanked a ball over the sideline. As someone once said, “Sometimes you’re the pigeon, sometimes you’re the statue.”
15 min: Goal-kick to Korea after Kim Jin-Su shepherds the ball over the byline with Kruse all over him like a backpack.
13 min: Korea draw some triangles down the left but an attempt at a long hypotenuse ends up in the offside flag going up.
12 min: Cahill caught offside in fielding a nice Sainsbury pass from the back. He’s developed well through this tournament, Sainsbury. Cahill’s done okay I s’pose.
10 min: This is being played at a frenetic pace. It’s up one end, down another, and no-one is being allowed any time on the ball. It’s a real test of technique and temperament.
Peter Oh wasn’t too keen on that heavy intervention by Jedinak earlier: “Would someone please inform Mr. Jedinak that this is a football match, not rugby?”
9 min: Jedinak hits it sweetly, getting it up and over the wall and dipping towards the keeper’s right. But it just fails to drop under the bar and bounces off the roof of the net.
8 min: Milligan wins a free kick just outside the D after a good run from Leckie...
5 min: Australia handle the free-kick comfortably, Cahill heading clear. But Korea push up again. They are not letting Australia play it out.
4 min: Son, better now, threatens again as Korea push forward in great numbers. They are up for an early goal it seems and such is the pressure on Australia Franjic pulls Park down by the shirt as Park looked to dribble into the box. Yellow card for Franjic.
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2 min: Son Heung-min cuts in from the right dragging Jason Davidson with him. But he manages to squeeze off a shot off moments before he collides with Jedinak. The ball flies high and wide, Song lies down for a while and watches the cartoon birds circling his head.
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1 min: An early chance to Australia when Cahill runs to the left edge of the box and looks to cross but, instead, dinks it straight to keeper Kim.
Peeeeeeeeep!
Tim Cahill gets us underway with a quite beautiful 5 inch pass to Mark Milligan. Australia, in gold, are running right to left on my screen. Korea are in red shirts and socks with blue shorts. Like the sea after a storm.
Places everybody! We’re about to start...
The ref, by the way, is from Iran. He’s wearing black and his name is Alireza Faghani. Good luck, sir.
Anthems:
Here’s a young man who I gave airtime to during the World Cup. Time to bring him off the bench again, methinks. Australia’s anthem sounds better this way but there’s something soulful about South Korea’s.
Korea:
Australia:
The teams are out! They are lined up, handshakes are being exchanged, cheeks are being tenderly touched (Frank Lowy to one of the child mascots).
Peter Oh —a Korean watching from the US west coast— has a question: “I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but do you know if any football team in a major international finals has won the tournament without allowing any goals?”
Good question. Anyone?
Does anyone expect neutral commentary any more?
Always guaranteed neutral coverage in Australia. #AUSvKOR #ACFinal pic.twitter.com/5Qso3mNwHm
— babou (@baboustylings) January 31, 2015
Korea Schmorea, says reader raymondreardon in a manner of speaking. A win for Australia would mean more than one for Korea:
“In the shadows of Johnny Warren’s campaign for Australian football to grow through joining a stronger Confederation, like the Asian Football Confederation, Australia have the chance to win the Asian Cup at their third attempt. Ten years after his passing and forty eight years after Johnny Warren scored the winning goal in a 3-2 win against South Korea in Australia’s first ever match against South Korea, will another great Australian step into Australian football folklore? Australia currently have a 12 win-11 loss- 9 draw result against South Korea and a loss would draw South Korea level on a head to head scoreboard but an Australian loss in the Asian Cup would have more consequences than a South Korean win.”
With all the talk of the Socceroos let’s not overlook what a win would mean for Korea. Though they have won the tournament twice before this is their first final since 1988, while their last win was 55 years ago. Korean football has had many nearly moments, how dearly they must want to get a winner’s medal around their necks.
Line-ups!
Australia:
Start list: @Socceroos #AC2015 #ACFinal pic.twitter.com/ThrmaZY4Yq
— AFC Asian Cup (@afcasiancup) January 31, 2015
South Korea:
Start list: @theKFA #ACFinal #AC2015 pic.twitter.com/lVNyQLRg5u
— AFC Asian Cup (@afcasiancup) January 31, 2015
So Australia are unchanged from the team that began against the UAE. Cahill, Kruse and Leckie haven’t been rested. We’re all good to go!
In case the magnitude of tonight’s game has passed you by let me remind you that it’s big. How big? We could argue the point for ages but it could be the greatest night in Australian football history. Given you could walk into the Socceroos’ trophy room and swing a cat (or indeed a whole bunch of them, on a mini Hills Hoist-type contraption you built, disturbingly, just for the occasion) without knocking over any major silverware you might be inclined to say, “Well it’s not like there’s much competition”. So what, I say.
Tonight, should the Socceroos win their first major tournament, I’d be prepared to say their achievement might just trump these loin-stirring moments:
and...
'I hope South Korea get smashed' #AUSvKOR pic.twitter.com/zJuzfCLMOP
— Dennis Does Cricket (@DennisCricket_) January 31, 2015
2hrs until the #ACFinal! Who are YOU supporting tonight?! #AC2015 pic.twitter.com/qVPyETsgOv
— AFC Asian Cup (@afcasiancup) January 31, 2015
As I take a moment to crack my knuckles, a few scene setters:
The players are out for their warm ups! #ACFinal #AC2015 https://t.co/Qj6fLuNIJd
— AFC Asian Cup (@afcasiancup) January 31, 2015
Given South Korea have already beaten the Socceroos this tournament they’ll be confident of doing so again but as well-drilled and organised as they were against Australia at Lang Park on January 17 the Socceroos showed enough to suggest they can turn the tables tonight.
In fact, the Socceroos have shown enough all tournament to suggest that coach Ange Postecoglou was right when he said, back in October 2013, that this team was one for the future, that it would endeavour to play positive attacking football come what may. Postecoglou echoed those comments this week. “Australian sporting teams, we want them to be aggressive, proactive, and take the game to opponents,” he said. “We want to be successful, but we also want to grow the game in this country.”
Interestingly —and debatably— Postecoglou has suggested many times that playing aggressive, attacking football reflects the Australia character. Do you agree? Sometimes I wonder if it would more reflect Australia’s national character if the Socceroos played with 11 behind the ball and did as little as possible until being forced to make an effort in a penalty shootout. Or is that just my character?
So let’s start this I Cant Believe It’s Not Better™ coverage with a quick rundown of the state of play.
As we’ve already established, Australia are in the final! “Yay!”, as some people say, seemingly without embarrassment. How did they get to the final? In some style it has to be said. In Australia’s first two group games they beat Kuwait 4-1 then Oman 4-0 before losing 1-0 to South Korea (despite enjoying the majority of possession and chances). This loss caused some hand-wringing, it must be said, because it seemed it would put Australia on a collision course with Japan in the semifinals. But the United Arab Emirates upset the Japanese in the quarters and when Australia beat China 2-0 in their quarter it meant the Socceroos would face the UAE in one semifinal. Midweek, in Newcastle, the Socceroos prevailed 2-0 without being truly tested (or truly hitting their straps, bar the opening 15 minutes when both goals were scored).
South Korea? They were in Group A with Australia and won all three games (against Kuwait, Oman and Australia) 1-0. They progressed to the quarter-finals top of the group and beat Uzbekistan 2-0 in extra time after it was 0-0 after 90 minutes. Korea then beat Iraq 2-0 in the semifinals. This means, if you’ve been paying attention, that they are yet to concede a goal all tournament, which is pretty impressive.
Stadium Australia is really starting to buzz with fans of all ages! #ACFinal #AC2015 pic.twitter.com/68m718HCCj
— AFC Asian Cup (@afcasiancup) January 31, 2015
Good evening, sportsfans!
Welcome to the Guardian’s minute-by-minute report of the 2015 Asian Cup final between Australia and South Korea. I can’t promise you it will the same as being at the Sydney Olympic Stadium and witnessing it with your own eyes but I can guarantee you it will keep you abreast of most of the action (bearing in mind I may need to see a man about a Shetland Pony at some point, or nip off to read the kids a bedtime story, or spend too much time explaining one piece of action that I miss another one entirely). Better yet, I will describe the action for you mere minutes after it actually happens! Technology, eh?! Will wonders never cease?
If this format excites you (and why wouldn’t it?) drop me a line, let me know what’s on your mind, where you’re watching, what you think of the game, etc: Your correspondence is valuable to me and I will endeavour to answer it (or at least read it) at the first available opportunity: paulconnolly@theguardian.com.
Kick-off is at 8pm
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So this is it. The moment of destiny. Australia’s irresistible force meets South Korea’s immovable object with Asian Cup glory going to the winner and a congested trip home from Olympic Park for the loser. Whatever the outcome of tonight’s crunch clash, there can be no doubt the competition has been a huge success with entertaining games, plenty of goals and great crowd numbers. Not bad for a tournament dubbed a potential “lemon” by Eddie McGuire. How do you like them apples Eddie? Follow the final 90/120 minutes with Paul Connolly, who will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s how Kate Cohen sees the game.
The final represents an intriguing clash of styles – attack versus defence. Coached by a man fittingly nicknamed “the Stopper”, German Uli Stielike, South Korea have not conceded a single goal in the tournament, keeping five clean sheets. On the other hand, Australia have been by far the most potent side going forward, hitting the back of the net 12 times, a goal a game more, on average, than their opponents on Saturday. There is a simple explanation for these differences. Whereas Postecoglou is a manager that demands a high tempo, fluid, attacking brand of football, Stielike’s South Korean side have been conservative in their approach to the tournament. With little time to work with the side, just five games in charge after taking over before the Asian Cup began, Stielike has developed a system which is focused more on being effective rather than being entertaining.
Read the rest of Kate’s insights here.
