It was belatedly reported that the net was decided in favor of the national team at the time of the penalty shootout in the round of 16 at the Qatar Asian Cup against Saudi Arabia due to the question raised by the captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham).

In the round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup held at Education City Stadium in Alayyan, Qatar, on the 31st, South Korea entered the penalty shootout after failing to determine the match 1-1 until overtime. We had to decide which goal to play the penalty shootout, but the referee tried to designate the goalpost on the Saudi cheering squad. This is because the Jimmy Jib camera was there to capture dynamic angles.

At that time, captain Son Heung-min approached the referee and said, “Let’s toss a coin in accordance with FIFA regulations, which is a high-ranking AFC organization, to set a goal.” The referee accepted the offer, and the coin got the front that Korea wanted. Son chose the goal post, which is close to our bench and has fans who came to cheer for Korea.

According to FIFA regulations, the penalty shootout goal and advance goal are decided by tossing a coin. However, if the referee judges that fair competition is difficult depending on conditions such as grass conditions and weather, the goalposts can be designated at the discretion of the referee. The Asian Cup, a competition hosted by AFC, is conducted in a manner in which the two teams consult and shootout is conducted in advance.

Saudi Arabia then took the lead in line with the toss of a coin as per FIFA regulations. Usually, it is advantageous to make the lead, but it could have been better to choose the goal well at a time when more than 30,000 Saudi fans came on the day, reminiscent of the away game.

Saudi Arabia’s kick of the 3rd and 4th kickers was blocked by South Korea’s Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan), and South Korea succeeded neatly in all of the 1st to 4th attempts to win 4-2.

Korea could have won if it had been kicked in the Saudi supporters’ box. However, had it not been for Son Heung-min to raise the issue, Saudi fans would have played psychological games and put the national team in trouble.

“Son Heung-min is a language and world-class player, so he appealed some things,” a national team official said at the Al-Eglah training center in Doha, Qatar on the 1st. “Son Heung-min has a lot of experience in international competitions, so he knows the rules well, and I think he did well when he had to raise questions.”

Son Heung-min also tried to boost the national team’s atmosphere with a bright smile and humorous movements in the training ahead of the quarterfinals against Australia on the 3rd. Son Heung-min, who will record the most Asian Cup appearances (17 times) for the Korean team by playing against Australia, is expected to make history with what kind of leadership he will have.

BY: 스포츠토토