Kim Jin-soo faces another injury setback.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, drew 1-1 with El Salvador in the June National Team A match at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. With the draw, TEAM Klinsmann failed to record its first win.
Kim Jin-soo went down in the 13th minute of the second half after colliding with Lee Jae-sung, who was trying to block an opponent’s kick from a corner kick. His face quickly swelled up and he was unable to continue playing. After being replaced by Park Kyu-hyun, Kim Jin-soo’s condition was serious enough that he had to go to the hospital midway through the game. We caught up with him in the post-match press area, and his face was still swollen.
Despite the injury, Kim said, “I went to the hospital. They said I fractured my clown, orbit, and jaw, so I’ll have to have surgery. I thought I couldn’t get hurt anymore, but it’s ridiculous that my face is injured. I didn’t hurt myself, but I was disappointed that I got hit and hurt. It hurt a lot, and it hurt more because of my family.” 안전놀이터
Without Kim Jin-soo, the defensive organization started to crack a little bit, and the team conceded a goal from a free kick in the 42nd minute of the second half. “I came out at the end of the game and didn’t see the goal in the hospital. For whatever reason, it was a game we needed to win. We had a lot of chances in the first half. It’s important to score. It’s also important that the defenders at the back defend well,” he said.
Kim explained that it will take him two months to return to full fitness. “They said it will take about two months to recover from the surgery. I’m glad that I avoided a long-term injury,” he said, keeping a positive attitude.
Kim now has to decide his future between Al Nasr and Jeonbuk Hyundai. Although he is a member of Jeonbuk, he is on loan from Al Nasr. If he doesn’t extend his loan or make a full transfer, he may have played his last game for Jeonbuk.