Data analysis: South Korea will threaten Brazil from the air
After Australia's elimination against Argentina on Saturday, the other two Asian teams will also play to reach the quarter-finals today. While Japan are considered to have a pretty good chance of progressing against Croatia, South Korea will play against favoured Brazil.
Data analysis by 11Hacks data experts shows that South Korea create the highest number of chances from both wing areas, being especially dangerous especially from the left side. One of the most important players of coach Paul Bento's selection is left-back Kim Jin-Su, who is one of the most frequent crossers in the tournament.
He sends an average of five balls into the opponent's box per game in this way, the same as Borna Sosa of Croatia and Antonee Robinson of the USA. The only other active player in this respect was the German David Raum, who left a very good impression at the tournament.
Moreover, Jin-Su's crosses are very accurate and create good shooting opportunities. In the metric of expected assists, only Sergino Dest, Thomas Meunier and the aforementioned Raum are better among the full-backs, although neither of them will improve their stats at the tournament.
Brazil have to be very careful in standard situations. The data metrics for expected goals show that only nine other teams have created more valuable chances from corners and direct free kicks.
The star Heung-Min Son, who is complemented by 21-year-old attacking midfielder Lee Kang-in of Spanish side Mallorca, is mainly responsible for their execution. On the receiving side, three names in particular stand out - defenders Kim Min-Jae and Kim Young-Gwon and striker Cho Gue-Sung. These three are the ones who get into the end zone most often.
The Koreans have the eighth-highest overall header success rate in the tournament. They excel even more when looking at the success rate of defensive aerial duels, where they are the sixth best. In attacking ones, they hold 10th place.
Moreover, their players read the game well in the final third of the pitch and even have the highest success rate in collecting rebounds in these spaces. Brazil, on the other hand, look vulnerable in the air. For example, their defensive header success rate is the lowest of all teams.
South Korea also has sympathetic results in several other data metrics. If a team in the opponent's half loses the ball, they win it back within 10 seconds 24.5 per cent of the time, the sixth-best result of the tournament. Brazil's pressing efficiency is similar, and they are one position above their eighth-final opponents.
The Koreans can also threaten on the break. So far in the tournament, they are averaging four per game, which puts them in sixth place behind Germany, France, Portugal, Brazil and Iran.
If we were to single out one individual whose name has already been mentioned in the course of this article, the choice would fall on defender Min-Jae. The Napoli player has been one of the most dominant defenders of the entire championship so far. He wins 85.71 per cent of his header duels on the field, gets a large number of balls and has not fouled once so far. In addition, he is excellent at crossing and thus perfectly replicates his performances at club level.
Min-Jae's skills will be needed - more than ever - on both sides of the pitch. His team secured qualification to the last 16 with a goal in the final group game against Portugal. Can he surprise another favourite against Brazil?
