Uzbekistan up next for S. Korea

MELBOURNE, Australia (Yonhap) ― The banged-up and weary South Koreans received a day off from their AFC Asian Cup training Monday after arriving at the site of their upcoming quarterfinals showdown against Uzbekistan.

The Korea Football Association said head coach Uli Stielike didn’t schedule any practice for the day here in Melbourne, where South Korea is scheduled to face Uzbekistan on Thursday.

South Korea, chasing its first Asian Cup since 1960, claimed the top seed in Group A with three consecutive 1-0 victories. The third victory came against Australia in a hard-fought and chippy affair in Brisbane on Saturday.

Stielike is traveling with a battered squad. The team lost midfielder Lee Chung-yong for the tournament to a broken leg after one match. Then against Australia, another midfielder, Koo Ja-cheol, suffered a torn ligament in his right elbow, and he has also been ruled out of the Asian Cup.

The injury situation ― a few players missed the team’s second match with colds ― has forced Stielike to constantly juggle his lineup. From the original 23-man squad, 22 players have been in action. Goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong is the only player who has yet to take the field. He and midfielder Han Kook-young are the only two that have yet to start a match.

Only three players ― midfielders Ki Sung-yueng and Park Joo-ho, and fullback Kim Jin-su ― have started all three matches so far. Stielike has praised his players for stepping up and filling the void whenever their teammates went down, and urged all remaining members of the squad to stay prepared for contingencies

Uzbekistan coach promises win

Ahead of a quarterfinals showdown against South Korea at the AFC Asian Cup, Uzbekistan coach Mirdjalal Kasimov has thrown down the gauntlet, promising to send his opponent packing in the first knockout match.

Uzbekistan defeated Saudi Arabia 3-1 in Melbourne on Sunday to secure the second seed in Group B and will face the Group A winner South Korea back in Melbourne on Thursday.

“We promise to beat Korea,” Kasimov was quoted as saying on the tournament’s website. “We always think about losing to Korea in the World Cup qualifiers and I think the players will do their best. It will be an interesting game.”

Kasimov was referring to the 1-0 loss to South Korea in June 2013 during the final Asian qualification round for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Akmal Shorakhmedov had an own goal in the match held in Seoul. In September 2012, Uzbekistan held South Korea to a 2-2 draw in Tashkent, where the teams traded an own goal apiece.

Overall, South Korea has eight wins, one loss and two draws against Uzbekistan.

Kasimov’s captain, Server Djeparov, is playing his club football for South Korea’s Seongnam FC. Another midfielder, Timur Kapadze, has been with Incheon United in South Korea.

Though Djeparov was benched against Saudi Arabia after Uzbekistan lost to China earlier, Kasimov said he still has faith in the 32-year-old with 106 caps.