An Junsu and An Chankido Ready for Deployment... An Junsu is the "God of Penalty Shootouts"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Eliminated from the field. The single-elimination quarterfinals where the winner must be decided even by penalty shootout. From now on, it is the goalkeeper's time. The shoulders of our national soccer team’s goalkeeper Song Beom-geun (25, Jeonbuk) are heavy.
Our Tokyo Olympic men's soccer team, which advanced to the quarterfinals as the first place in Group A, will compete against Mexico, the second place in Group B, for a spot in the semifinals at the Yokohama International Stadium on the 31st.
Head coach Kim Hak-beom said, "Mexico is a very distinctive team. Their attacking line is sharp," and added, "We will challenge with the mindset of starting fresh and playing the first match."
Mexico scored 8 goals and conceded 3 in the three group stage matches. Among the teams in Group A, they scored the most goals. To face such Mexico, our team is expected to build a solid defensive line while Song Beom-geun must guard the goal well.
Coach Kim trusted Song Beom-geun and did not select a wildcard (players over 24 years old) for the goalkeeper position. Although Song showed some instability in friendly matches against Argentina and France just before the tournament, he has lived up to the coach’s trust since the tournament began. He conceded only one goal in the three group stage matches, which was the single blow suffered in the first match against New Zealand.
In the quarterfinals, players must perform well on the field, but they must also be well prepared for penalty shootouts. Song Beom-geun has shown weakness against penalty kicks in the professional league. While guarding the goal for Jeonbuk Hyundai in the K League, he saved only one out of ten penalty kicks. This must change at the Olympics.
Coach Kim is expected to decide whether to substitute the goalkeeper during the penalty shootout after assessing the training content and condition of the goalkeepers today and tomorrow. Besides Song Beom-geun, An Jun-su (24, Busan) and An Chan-gi (24, Suwon) are on standby. According to soccer insiders, An Jun-su is called the "God of Penalty Shootouts." When he was attending Chungui Middle School and participated in national tournaments, he was known to have the skill to save at least three out of five penalty kicks.
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