Klinsmann's men face the challenge of dealing with injuries and cautions in an exhibition match against Iraq.

Jürgen Klinsmann's South Korea national soccer team beat Iraq 1-0 in an exhibition match at New York University Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on June 6, thanks to Lee Jae-sung's first goal in the 40th minute. It was Klinsmann's sixth straight win and seventh clean sheet in seven matches.

South Korea, ranked 23rd in the Fifa rankings, had 14 shots on goal against Iraq (63rd) on the day. However, only one was on target, and several set pieces in the second half, when the best 11 were used, failed to produce an additional goal. Lee Kang-in's late red card was a mistake that shouldn't have happened in the final.온라인카지노

Klinsmann sent out his Plan B players in the first half. The mainstays Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan, Cho Kyu-sung, and Lee Kang-in were all left out. In their place, the spirited Oh Hyun-gyu and Jeong Woo-young started in the attack, while rookie Hong Hyun-seok started in the center. Experienced Lee Jae-sung and Hwang In-beom were added to balance things out, while Lee Ki-jae, Kim Young-kwon, Jung Seung-hyun, and Seol Young-woo were deployed in the back four under Park Yong-woo in defensive midfield. In goal was Kim Seung-gyu.

It was a messy start for South Korea, with a quick Iraqi counter-attack threatening, but they played possession football centered on Park Yong-woo, Hwang In-beom, and Hong Hyun-seok, and eventually won the game with a nice mid-range goal by Lee Jae-sung.

But they also have their work cut out for them.

The biggest weakness is the power differential between the best 11 and the Plan B team. South Korea brought on their main striker and defensive core Kim Min-jae in the second half, and it certainly resulted in a sharper, more disruptive attacking effort than in the first half. Cho Kyu-sung's shooting situation and Son Heung-min's breakthrough deserved a penalty kick. However, they were unable to capitalize, and there were a few close calls, including Hwang Hee-chan going down after battling for the ball with an opponent.

Lee Kang-in, who came on in the second half, was sent off for accumulating cautions. It was the first time in more than seven years that a player had been sent off in an A team match, and it was a lesson in not getting caught up in nerves.

Commentator Kim Dae-gil said, "Playing in the Middle East is difficult because of the climate and time difference. For Korea, we don't have a deep roster, so we have to pay special attention to the injury management of our main players. We need to take this into consideration in the group stage as well," he advised, adding, "The excessive number of players in the attack exposed holes in the midfield. We need to balance the offense and defense so that the defense can be more stable."

The team, which has been training in the United Arab Emirates since March 3, will make final preparations before traveling to Qatar for the final match on March 10.

South Korea will play Bahrain at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 15, Jordan at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 20 and Malaysia at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 25 in Group E of the Asian Cup.