Coach Paulo Bento and Son Heung-min holding an official press conference ahead of the Iran match. Provided by the Korea Football Association
Coach Paulo Bento, who leads the Korean national football team, burned his will to win ahead of the Iran match.
Bentuho will play their ninth home match against Iran in the Asian final qualifying round for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 24th.
The gap between Korea (20 points) and Iran (22 points) is two points. If Bentuho takes Iran, it will be the first match of A match against Iran in 11 years after winning the 2011 Asian Cup quarterfinals (1-0). . In addition, they can leap to the top of the group and occupy an advantageous position in the World Cup final group draw.
Before the match, coach Bento said in an official pre-match press conference held online on the 23rd, “With both teams confirmed to qualify for the World Cup, they will both want to get three points.”
He continued, “The opponent is in a good position as the first in the group. Even if we draw, we are in first place. On the other hand, we must win,” he emphasized. “We will take risks to win.”
Coach Paulo Bento (center) instructs training at the NFC Paju. Provided by the Korea Football Association
The goal is to win 3 points unconditionally. If this match is won, Bento will write the most wins in a single tenure among the A-team managers in history. Currently, coach Bento is tied with former coach Uli Stielicke with 27 wins (10 draws and 4 losses).
As for personal goal achievement, Bento explained, “The Iran match is just one game. That’s all.” “The important thing is for the team to play as well as possible.” He continued, “The most important thing in football is the team and the players,” he said.
Manager Bento predicted that the situation in Iran and Korea would be similar to the lack of key players in the aftermath of Corona 19, and predicted that this match will be similar to the away game in the fourth round of the final qualifier played in Iran in October last year.
He said, “We will play as we did in the previous qualifying match. We will play as much as we can from the opposing midfield area by controlling the game while possessing the ball.”
He didn’t even lower his vigilance. Although the Iranian squad was diagnosed with Corona 19 and had a power leak due to injuries, it was evaluated that the same conditions were met in Korea. “Iran is a strong opponent,” Bento said. “I will find the best way.”
After the home match against Iran, Bentuho will play the final match of the 10th match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai on the 29th.