Korea salvage point from disappointing 2-2 draw with Jordan

Korea's Son Heung-min reacts after an Asian Cup Group E match between Jordan and Korea at Al Thumama in Doha, Qatar on Saturday. [AP/YONHAP]

Korea managed to salvage a single point from a humiliating 2-2 draw with Jordan at the Asian Cup on Saturday, scrounging an equalizer in injury time to save what would have been an unforgivable loss for what should be one of Asia’s best teams.

As draws go, it was fairly unforgivable anyway. Korea’s two goals — one in the ninth minute and one at 90+1 — came from a penalty and a Jordan own goal, hardly the offensive prowess that might be expected from the combined stars of Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain, Mainz, FC Midtjylland and later Celtic, Stuttgart and Gent.

The game started alright at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, with Korea briefly appearing to have recovered from whatever malaise affected the majority of the squad during last week’s 3-1 win over Bahrain.

Son Heung-min — who appeared to struggle again Bahrain — was quick and decisive, making a serious push on goal in the fourth minute that ultimately led to a lengthy VAR review and a penalty. Son scored, putting Korea up 1-0.

But then the old problems returned. Korea were overpowered in midfield and unable to break through in front of goal. Jordan, meanwhile, were fast on the breakaway and far more threatening, the 60-odd places that separate the two countries in the FIFA world ranking apparently having no impact on Jordan’s ability to push Korea on the backfoot.

With the Korea midfield effectively shutdown, it came as little surprise when Jordan finally tied things up in the 37th minute. That it was thanks to a Park Yong-woo own goal was unfortunate, but it was always going to be either his head or the foot of the Jordanian player behind him.

Jordan added one more before the break, Yazan Al Naimat left wide open on the edge of the box as the entire Korean defense were pulled to the side.

Down one going into the second half, Jurgen Klinsmann dropped Lee Ki-je — a confusing pick in the first place — and Park in favor of Kim Tae-hwan and Hong Hyun-seok. The change helped a little, with Korea controlling more of the ball, although the momentum remained firmly with Jordan.

After a deadlocked second half, it was not until injury time that Korea were finally able to tie things up again. This time it was Hwang In-beom that benefited from the own goal, Yazan Al Arab deflecting the ball past his own keeper and into the back of the net.

That goal ended the game at 2-2, a welcome draw on the night, but a pitiful result compared to what the Taeguk Warriors theoretically ought to be able to do against a team like Jordan.

The fault appears to lie mostly with Klinsmann.

The German coach, who has been criticized for a lack of tactical knowledge in all of his previous managerial positions, seems determined to cement that reputation with an outdated 4-4-2 formation that could have been copied straight out of a 1994 edition of Match magazine.

The formation puts Son and Cho Gue-sung out front, with Lee Jae-sung, Park, Hwang In-beom and Lee Kang-in behind, but the lack of depth creates far too much space in the midfield, allowing Jordan’s 3-4-2-1 to slot in all the gaps and take control of the game.

Klinsmann’s approach also places too much importance on Cho — who has proven entirely unable to deliver in both games so far — and pushes Lee Kang-in out to the wing. Son inevitably ends up pushed to the other wing, leaving perhaps Korea’s two best players playing half the game with one foot on the touchline.

Individual performances are also a concern.

Among the offensive players, Cho had perhaps the worst outing, fluffing shots and sending the ball miles over the bar or into the ground whenever he had a chance.

Hwang In-beom, although he did create the second goal, did not fare much better, giving the ball away at every opportunity, while Lee Jae-sung appeared crippled with indecision and panicked and passed every time he had a clear shot.

Son and Lee Kang-in, meanwhile, were finally able to push into the middle in the final minutes of the game, by which point they were both too exhausted to deliver on the few chances they were able to create.

There’s also a bench issue. With regular starting forward Hwang Ui-jo suspended from the national team due to an ongoing police investigation and Hwang Hee-chan out with an injury, Klinsmann has very few options to call on.

To replace Cho, the only real option is Celtic’s Oh Hyeon-gyu, who still lacks the experience to make a serious impact. In the midfield, both Hong Hyun-seok and Jeong Woo-yeong are good prospects, but also still too young and inexperienced.

The bench is also being stretched after the departure of starting goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu, who is out for the rest of the tournament with an ACL tear. He was replaced Saturday by Jo Hyeon-woo, a veteran keeper who dropped back into the No. 2 spot in the last few years. Jo did not have a bad outing, although the first own goal was arguably the result of a failure to intercept.

Korea will next face Malaysia on Thursday, theoretically an easier fixture where Klinsmann could consider trying something different. The best thing for Korea would be the return of Hwang Hee-chan, who did resume training at the end of last week, but that still might not happen until the knockout stage.

Korea will take on Malaysia at Al Janoub Stadium in Qatar on Thursday. The game will be broadcast at 8:30 p.m. in Korea.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]