" Most Korean fans expect Malaysia to advance to the round of 16. They support Malaysia because of coach Kim Pan-gon ," the New Straits Times quoted Lee Sung-mo, a famous sports writer in Korea.
In this year’s tournament, in addition to their home team, Korean fans focused their attention on the Malaysian team, where Kim Pan-gon is the head coach. Previously, coach Park Hang Seo helped the Vietnamese team attract the attention of Korean fans. However, at this time, Mr. Park is no longer in charge.
Southeast Asian football still has two teams led by Korean coaches. While the Malaysian team has coach Kim Pan-gon, the Indonesian team still puts its trust in coach Shin Tae-yong. Both of these coaches are influential figures in Korean football. Coach Shin Tae-yong once led the national team at the 2018 World Cup.
Mr. Park Hang Seo will not attend the 2023 Asian Cup.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kim Pan-gon received a lot of support because this strategist used to be the Vice President of the Korean Football Association. According to the press of this country, Mr. Kim has contributed a lot to the development of football in the land of kimchi. This former player played an important role in appointing coach Paulo Bento as the captain of the Korean team.
Therefore, when Mr. Kim Pan-gon decided to return to coaching, fans were very interested in this coach's achievements.
In this year's tournament, the Malaysian team is in Group E with Jordan, Bahrain and South Korea. The "Tigers" are expected to win a ticket to the next round because this is not a very difficult group.
" Koreans consider the match against Malaysia a "must-see" match in Group E of the 2023 Asian Cup. Kim Pan-gon is a respected figure in Korean football. Fans will warmly welcome Mr. Kim when the two teams meet. They respect Mr. Kim even though he has retired from the National Football Association ," Lee Sung Mo assessed.
At this time, the Malaysian team is well prepared for the 2023 Asian Cup. In the last 6 matches, including friendly matches, coach Kim Pan-gon and his team have only lost 1 match. They lost 1-1 to China, they won against Kyrgyzstan (the opponent who just played a friendly match with the Vietnamese team).
Although not having absolute strength, the Malaysian team showed resilience in defense. In a group with enough strength, the Malaysian team can think about a ticket to the next round.
Mai Phuong
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