Korea always chasing the game, says Bonfrere

ASIANCUP2004 - Korea Republic coach Jo Bonfrere said conceding an early goal allowed Iran to dictate the tempo of their quarter-final and eventually sent his team out of the Asian Cup.

Ali Karimi scored after only eight minutes for Iran as World Cup semi-finalists Korea conceded their first goal of the tournament on their way to a 4-3 defeat.

Although the Koreas equalised within seven minutes, Iran had taken the match by the scruff of the neck, according to Bonfrere.

“The problem was that we conceded an early goal,” said Bonfrere. “That affected our rhythm and we ended up chasing the game.

“It got worse because they kept on taking the lead. We didn’t have a chance to take stock and play our own game because we were always looking for equalisers.

“We fought hard and created chances but it was Iran’s day today.”

Despite the defeat, Bonfrere was full of praise for his team and the way they have progressed in the tournament.

Korea qualified for the quarter-finals by winning Group B, beating United Arab Emirates 2-0, Kuwait 4-0 and drawing 0-0 with Jordan.

“We played a very good game. We have improved a lot since we arrived in China but we came up against a very good Iranian team.

“I had a bad feeling we would lose when we kept going behind. Normally when you score three goals in a match, you end up winning. But it wasn’t enough against this Iran team.”

Bonfrere has been in charge of the Korean team for just over a month. He replaced Portugal’s Humberto Coelho, who resigned after the team’s humiliating 0-0 draw with Maldives in a World Cup qualifier earlier this year.

The Dutchman said his most telling contribution to the team so far is the fact that Korea are now scoring more goals.

Said Bonfrere: “Before this tournament, Korea did not score that many goals. Now we are creating chances and scoring a lot more.

“In that sense, I feel we have improved in the short time I have been in charge. This has been confirmed by the way we have played the last three games.”