Sports Weekly All Media Reporter Wang Xiaorui reported
The South Korean team tried their best to fight against the Iranian team. A factor that cannot be ignored was the draw for the 2022 World Cup on April 1. At present, the FIFA ranking of the South Korean team is 29. If it can further rise, it is expected to enter the third rank in the World Cup draw, which is still very attractive for the South Korean team to enter the top 16 of the World Cup. After defeating the Iranian team, the South Korean team has basically locked the third position.
According to predictions, even if the final match against the UAE is not considered for the time being, the South Korean team can rank 27th in the FIFA rankings, surpassing Ukraine and Poland in one fell swoop. This is currently ranked 16th among the participating teams that have qualified for the World Cup. According to the drawing principle of this World Cup, the top 7 teams ranked by the host Qatar and FIFA will be included in the first grade. Teams with the 8th to 15th picks enter the second pot, and the teams with the 16th to 23rd picks are divided into the third pot. Among the teams still vying for World Cup tickets, FIFA ranks higher than South Korea, as well as Portugal, Mexico, the United States, Sweden, Colombia, Wales, Senegal, Peru, Morocco and Chile 10 teams. In other words, South Korea could theoretically be squeezed to the 26th overall pick.
However, FIFA also stated in the rules: The three play-off teams will enter the fourth grade, including the postponed UEFA play-off winner (Wales VS Ukraine), in addition, Colombia, Peru , Morocco and Chile will also face the reality that once they qualify, they will participate in the lottery in the fourth grade, and it is impossible for the latter three to qualify at the same time, so the possibility of the South Korean team entering the third grade is greatly enhanced.
In this case, the final round match between South Korea and the United Arab Emirates is actually more of a “going battle”. Considering that the UAE has to compete with Iraq for a play-off spot, the South Korean team’s intention to go west cannot help but make people curious. Moreover, before going to Dubai, the midfielder Yuan Doozai left the team due to a shoulder injury. In addition, Huang Renfan, Jin Zhengui, Bai Shenghao and Cao Guicheng also missed the game due to various injuries. So, what kind of lineup can the South Korean team come up with? There is still some suspense.
But for Bento, Sun Xingmin and Huang Yizhu, there are three major records that need to be broken in this campaign. Bento’s goal is to lead his team to challenge the highest winning percentage in the final stage of the World Cup qualifiers of 80%. At present, the South Korean team has achieved 7 wins and 2 draws in the top 12 games, and another win can create a new record. And Sun Xingmin needs to compete with Taremi, Wu Lei, Ito Junya and Sheikhri for the top scorer in the top 12. The above 5 people are now scoring 4 goals. As for Huang Yizhu, the Ligue 1 striker has yet to draw a draw in the top 12. Since Cao Guicheng has been out of the west because of being infected with the new crown, and the substitute Li Dongjun is a side player, Huang Yizhu’s starting game is almost a certainty.
Under such circumstances, what kind of performance the South Korean team can play, and whether it will help Iraq to block the UAE, all arouse the attention of the whole Asia. For the sake of fairness, the AFC also unified the kick-off time of the campaign with Syria’s war against Iraq (both at 17:45 on March 29 in the East Fourth District). In the first round of the four teams, South Korea beat the UAE 1-0, and Syria and Iraq made a 2-2 draw.Return to Sohu, see more
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