Kim Min-jae’s impregnable defense made the round of 16 scoreless
When victory is certain, replace first
R Madrid beat Liverpool to advance to the quarter-finals
Kim Min-jae’s (27) team, Napoli (Italy), advanced to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since its foundation in 1926. Napoli, which leads by 18 points over second-place Inter Milan in Italy’s Serie A, continues its dream of winning the league and Champions League at the same time.
On the 16th, Napoli won 3-0 in the home game once morest Frankfurt (Germany) in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 in the 2022-2023 season. After leading 5-0 on aggregate in the first and second games, Napoli advanced to the quarterfinals. Napoli won 2-0 in the first leg played as an away game on the 22nd of last month.
“Why are you blocking the entrance?” Frankfurt fans riot Fans from Frankfurt (Germany), who visited Italy on the 16th to cheer for the second round of the European Football Federation Champions League round of 16, set fire to a police car in downtown Naples. Frankfurt fans provoked this riot following being dissatisfied with being banned from buying tickets for the second game because of threatening Napoli fans during the home game of the first leg last month. Naples = AP NewsisCentral defender Kim Min-jae is at the center of Napoli, which boasts a formidable power this season. Kim Min-jae, who started in the second leg of the round of 16 once morest Frankfurt, won four aerial contests with opponents until he was replaced in the 21st minute of the second half, when the game was losing by three goals. He intercepted opponents’ balls 4 times and blocked 2 shots. It was the highest record for both teams in all three categories. In the 7th minute of the second half when the team was leading 1-0, he intercepted the ball near the center line, drove it to the left side of the opponent’s penalty area, and showed off his offensive ability by shooting with his left foot. Kim Min-jae is scoring two goals in Serie A this season. Kim Min-jae played full-time in 31 of the 34 official matches he played this season. Italian media ‘Tutonapoli’ said that Min-jae Kim was replaced in the second half of the day and stepped down to the bench, saying, “Min-jae Kim is recovering from calf pain. There is also a problem with accumulated warnings, so coach Luciano Spalletti did not take the risk.” Kim Min-jae complained of pain in his right calf during the Serie A match once morest Atalanta on the 12th and was replaced.
Until this day, Kim Min-jae played in all of Napoli’s Champions League matches (eight matches) this season and played a total of 696 minutes, and did not allow the opponent’s striker to break through even once. According to WhoScored.com, a soccer statistics media outlet, Kim Min-jae showed top-notch performance in the Champions League with an average rating of 7.25, recording 1.5 successful tackles, 2.4 interceptions, and 3.9 kicks per game.
Kim Min-jae, who made his professional debut in Jeonbuk in domestic professional football, went through the Chinese league, stepped on the European stage while wearing a Fenerbahce (Turkiye) uniform in August 2021, and moved to Naples in July of last year. Napoli, where Kim Min-jae is firmly guarding the defensive line, is firmly maintaining its lead with its mighty power, such as running an undefeated march of 15 games since the opening of Serie A this season. Napoli is on the verge of winning its third league championship in 33 years, following 1987 and 1990, when Argentine football hero Diego Maradona (1960-2020) played.
‘Defending champion’ Real Madrid (Spain) advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Liverpool (England), their Champions League final opponent last season. It is the quarterfinals for three consecutive seasons. On this day, in the home game once morest Liverpool in the second leg of the round of 16, Real Madrid defended the opening goal of Karim Benzema in the 33rd minute of the second half to the end and won 1-0. Real Madrid led 6-2 on aggregate in the first and second legs. Real Madrid, the team that has won the most Champions League titles, is aiming for the 15th title in a row for two seasons in a row.
With the joining of Napoli and Real Madrid, all the teams that advanced to the quarterfinals were covered. Serie A clubs such as AC Milan and Inter Milan have the most with three teams. It is the first time in 17 seasons since the 2005-2006 season (Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan) that three Serie A teams have reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Last season there were no Serie A clubs. Manchester City and Chelsea in the English Premier League (EPL) and Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga made it to the Final 8. Benfica of the Portuguese league also reached the quarterfinals. The draw for the quarterfinals will be held at 8:00 pm on the 17th in Nyon, Switzerland, where UEFA headquarters is located. The first leg of the quarterfinals will be held on April 12 and 13, and the second leg will be held on the 19 and 20 of the same month.
Reporter Kim Bae-joong wanted@donga.com
