DOHA: South Korea must beat Iran to reach the Asian Cup semi-finals and prolong their bid for a first continental crown since 1960, but coach Cho Kwang-rae says he has no qualms about facing the Middle East giants.
The Koreans booked their ticket for the last eight by defeating India 4-1 in their final Group C game on Tuesday but lost out on top spot in the pool to Australia on goal difference.
Had Korea scored one more goal they would have pipped the Socceroos and set up a quarter-final meeting with the runners-up in Group D, which will be either reigning champions Iraq, North Korea or the United Arab Emirates.
Kwang-rae, however, insisted there was no point fretting about the prospect of a showdown with the unbeaten Iranians.
“When it comes to Iran, they are one of the powerhouses of Asian football, so if we want to go far in the tournament, we’ll have to face them and beat them,” he said.
“If I wanted to avoid Iran, I would have started with a full-strength team and pushed forward. We have to beat them, that’s the point.”
Iran beat South Korea 1-0 when the sides last met in a friendly in September, but Kwang-rae said his side’s recent form gave him reason for optimism.
“I’ve watched some Group D matches. I’ve analysed North Korea and Iraq. I’m comfortable about facing Iran,” said Kwang-rae, who replaced Huh Jung-moo after South Korea’s run to the round of 16 at last year’s World Cup.
“We had a friendly match in Seoul against Iran, and if you compare that game to now, I believe we are much stronger. I think when we play them, we’ll be able to control the game a lot better.”
Despite having gone into the game needing a victory to be sure of a last-eight place, Kwang-rae revealed he had already begun his preparations for the next round beforehand.
“I intentionally let Li Jung-soo have a rest and took Cha Du-ri and Ki Sung-yueng off at half-time to prepare for the game against Iran,” he said.
“I believe there are no weak teams in the quarter-finals, so in order to prepare the team in the best condition, we have to take care of everything.”
Kwang-rae brushed off suggestions that his forwards’ profligacy against minnows India was cause for concern and said he had tried to relieve the pressure on his team at the interval.
“I did not ask them to score more goals in the second half,” he explained. “I asked them to enjoy the game instead.”
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