Jo Hyeon-woo
Doha, Qatar: Goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo said South Korea’s refusal to give up sealed them a place in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Trailing 1-0 to Saudi Arabia with the match in stoppage time, Cho Gue-sung drew South Korea level in the ninth minute with the tie eventually decided by penalties.
Jo, who took over on Matchday Two of the group stage following a tournament-ending injury suffered by first choice keeper Kim Seung-gyu, was the hero in the shoot-out as he kept out Sami Al Naji and Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s spot-kicks, with Hwang Hee-chan netting the deciding penalty for a 4-2 win at the Education City Stadium.
“It all came from belief. The coach gave us belief. He came up to us and told us to believe in ourselves before we started the game this evening and it paid off,” said the Ulsan HD shot stopper, who was named Player of the Match.
“And when it came to the penalty shoot-out, I had the confidence to make saves to help the team. I’m just happy we made it through to the next round.”
“Confidence comes from training. We invested significant time in practising penalties, saves, and my performance during the penalty shootout, all of it stemmed from the encouragement provided by our goalkeeping coach.
“He said, ‘Believe in yourself. Whatever decision you make, make it with confidence.’ And that’s exactly what I did. If we have another shootout in the next game, it’s going to be the same.”
Goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo makes a save during penalty shootout against Saudi Arabia. RIGHT: The South Korean custodian celebrates .
With Australia awaiting in the quarter-finals on Friday, Jo wants South Korea to have complete focus.
“The priority now is to lift our heads high, work hard, and strive to achieve our goal of reaching the next round. As a goalkeeper, you always aim not to concede, keeping a clean sheet is the priority.
“However, for both myself and the team, the emphasis, as conveyed in the dressing room and shared among us, is to forget about the past and maintain a forward-looking mentality.”
