Cho Jae-jin Likely to Play in Iraq Match Today

Stamina is the key to victory.

The South Korean national soccer team players reportedly suffered from diarrhea on Sunday prior to the match against Iran. Goal keeper Lee Un-jae suffered the same. To avoid any misunderstanding in a doping test, they first tried to not take any medicine. However, they couldn’t resist. Team doctor Lim Yeong-jin confirmed, “The heavy tension and the water they drank in Indonesia may have caused it.” The symptom, along with the long match tailoring into the penalty kick shootout, exhausted the players.

Due to this reason, the experts wonder whether the Korean players can play powerfully against Iraq in the Asian Cup semifinal at 19:20 today in Malaysia. Team Iraq has rested one more day than Korea. More sanguinely for Iraq, star Iraqi midfielder Salih Sadir has recovered from an injury which he sustained in the match against Australia.

Excluding Lee Dong-guk, however, most of the Korean players have recovered. Midfielder Kim Jeong-woo still has some pain in his thigh, and Lee Cheon-su suffers from back pain and tonsillitis. They, however, show eagerness.

Team Korea is paying attention to the slow moves of the Iraqi defenders. Yeom Ki-hun and Lee Cheon-su plan to flank the opponent. Lee Geun-ho, who previously scored a goal against Iraq, is reportedly in top condition.

Since Lee Dong-guk has not shown improvement, Cho Jae-jin is likely to fill in his gap. Lee sustained a cut around his eye and also sustained a thigh injury in the Iran match.

In addition, if midfielder Kim Jeong-woo does not regain his stamina, Kim Du-hyeon may play in the upcoming game.

Iraq does not have a player over age 30. It’s a “young team.” In particular, Nashat Akram stands out most. Experts praise him as the best Iraqi midfielder in history. Akram reportedly plans to move over to Europe after this championship. To impress the European agencies, he will probably do his utmost against South Korea. Striker Younis Mahmoud has scored three goals so far in this Asian Cup.

bluesky@donga.com