Bento Team Faces World’s Strongest Brazil in Round of 16 at 4 AM Today
Kim Young-gwon Joins 'Century Club' with 100th A Match
Brazil national football team player Neymar, who will face South Korea in the Round of 16 of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, is training with a bright expression on the afternoon of the 4th (local time) at Al-Arabi SC Stadium in Doha, Qatar. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The showdown between South Korea's captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and superstar Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) has been set. In the 2022 Qatar World Cup quarterfinals, the two players will start side by side and engage in a historic duel.
The South Korean national football team, led by coach Paulo Bento, will face Brazil in the 2022 Qatar World Cup Round of 16 at 4 a.m. KST on the 6th at the 974 Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Coach Bento has planned changes to the starting lineup. It is expected that a formation close to 4-4-2 or 4-1-3-2 will be applied in this match.
South Korea's defensive core Kim Min-jae (Napoli) returns for the Brazil match. Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Cho Gue-sung (Jeonbuk) will start as the two strikers, and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) will also be in the starting lineup. Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) will begin the game on the bench.
Central defender Kim Min-jae, who missed the Portugal match due to a calf injury, has been named in the starting lineup for the Brazil match. Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu (Al-Shabab) will guard the net again following the group stage. The back four defense line will consist of Kim Min-jae alongside Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan), Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk), and Kim Moon-hwan (Jeonbuk).
Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos) and Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd) will coordinate offense and defense in midfield. Lee Kang-in, who started in the Portugal match, will begin on the bench, while Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) will take the right wing and Hwang Hee-chan the left wing. Son Heung-min will partner with Cho Gue-sung as the two forwards.
Star defender Kim Young-gwon will be honored by joining the 'Century Club' in the Round of 16. Kim Young-gwon made his A-match debut in an international friendly against Nigeria in August 2010. The Brazil Round of 16 match will be his 100th A-match, making him the 17th Korean male player to reach this milestone according to the Korea Football Association.
Captain Son Heung-min, who played full-time in all three group stage matches, will start for the fourth consecutive game. 'Hero of the Portugal match' Hwang Hee-chan will make his first start in this tournament.
Son Heung-min of the national soccer team is training on the morning of the 4th (Korean time) at Al Egla Training Ground in Doha, Qatar, ahead of the Round of 16 match against Brazil in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Brazil will field superstar Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) and focus all efforts on advancing to the quarterfinals. Neymar suffered an ankle injury in the first group stage match against Serbia and missed the second and third matches, so his participation in this game has drawn much attention.
Brazil will deploy Son Heung-min's Tottenham teammate Richarlison alongside Raphinha (FC Barcelona) and Vin?cius J?nior (Real Madrid) in a triangular attack, with Neymar leading the offense from midfield.
Lucas Paquet? (West Ham) and Casemiro (Manchester United) will protect the midfield alongside Neymar. The back four defense will be composed of Danilo (Juventus), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Thiago Silva (Chelsea), and ?der Milit?o (Real Madrid), with goalkeeper Alisson (Liverpool) guarding the goal.
Son Heung-min and Neymar, who are the same age, have faced each other twice before in national team uniforms, with Neymar winning both matches decisively.
In a friendly held at Seoul World Cup Stadium in 2013, Neymar scored two free-kick goals leading Brazil to a 2-0 victory. In a rematch at the same stadium this June, Neymar again scored two penalty goals, guiding Brazil to a 5-1 win.
Brazil, South Korea's opponent in the Round of 16, is ranked 1st by FIFA, while South Korea is ranked 28th. Historically, South Korea trails with 1 win and 6 losses in 7 matches against Brazil.
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