S. Korea want to win Asian Cup for stricken goalkeeper
Kim suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a training session on Thursday in Doha. The 33-year-old stopper, who plays in the Saudi Pro League, is a mainstay of the South Korean side, winning 79 caps since making his debut in 2013. South Korea are trying to win the Asian Cup for the first time since 1960 and can seal their place in the last 16 with victory on Saturday against Jordan.
"I want to share how disappointed we are as a team and how sorry we are for him," midfielder Lee Jae-sung said. "We are going to be playing for him and he is going to be with us in our hearts until the end of the tournament." Lee added that Kim's injury "hurts (us), it hurts a lot... but it will be a motivation for us. Hopefully it can be a motivation to go far."
Legendary German striker Klinsmann, who took over as South Korea coach a year ago, said his team could not afford to dwell on the loss of Kim. Klinsmann could now turn to 32-year-old Ulsan stopper Jo Hyeon-woo, who has 24 caps. "We are very sad about the injury, but it is part of the tournament," Klinsmann said.
"We need to move on. We keep him in our thoughts and we are fighting for him." With Kim in goal, South Korea defeated Bahrain 3-1 in their opening match in Qatar. Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan was not involved because of injury and Klinsmann suggested he will not be ready for the Jordan game. "Every day looks better and hopefully he will be back soon," he said.
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