DOHA: Hwang Hee Chan has no intention of using fatigue as an excuse when Korea Republic embark on their journey to win their first AFC Asian Cup title since 1960 when they take on Bahrain in Group E on Monday. Komail Al Aswad, meanwhile, wants his Bahrain side to relish the challenge of facing one of Asia’s best and prove themselves worthy of a place in the knockout stage of Qatar 2023. A whole host of Korea Republic players come into the tournament with plenty of minutes under their belt but Hwang does not see that as a burden.
With 11 goals and three assists in all competitions for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2023/24 English Premier League thus far, Hwang is having a prolific season in Europe and the forward said Korea are fully focused on the task ahead.
“The team has been performing exceptionally well in terms of our buildup, and the training has proven to be effective,” said Hwang. “The first match is crucial, and we are fully prepared for tomorrow's game."
“It's a very important tournament, playing here in the AFC Asian Cup. I don't believe it's an issue whether for us coming from Europe or those playing in K League because we don't discuss how fatigued or packed our schedules are in our respective leagues.
“When we come together, we focus on what kind of results we want to achieve for Korea Republic, how much we can contribute, and I've been preparing for this well.
“As players, we have prepared thoroughly, aiming to win all the games and approaching each match one at a time.”
Al Aswad, meanwhile, is banking on a collective effort to ensure that Bahrain start the campaign on a positive note as they look to at least repeat their 2019 feat of reaching the Round 16.
The 29-year-old midfielder, who played a pivotal role in helping Al Riffa SC reach the AFC Cup 2023/24 Zonal semi-finals, is expecting his teammates to work tirelessly against the Taeguk Warriors at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
“The atmosphere is positive, and we are focused on our opponents,” said Al Aswad. “The first match is always tough, especially against Korea Republic, but hopefully, we will put in a good performance even though Korea Republic are the favourites in the group.
“Our objective is to advance to the next round. We want to perform well in all our matches, and our preparations have been thorough. We are confident of achieving the desired result.”
“In terms of familiarity with the Korean players, I have played against most of them in the previous edition of the Asian Cup. There is no doubt that they are world-class players, but we will be relying on our teamwork to deliver our objective.” — AFC
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
