Smiling Klinsmann Questioned About His Reaction to South Korea’s Asian Cup Elimination 

South Korea's head coach Jurgen Klinsmann looks on before the semifinal soccer match between Jordan and South Korea at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (AP)
South Korea's head coach Jurgen Klinsmann looks on before the semifinal soccer match between Jordan and South Korea at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (AP)
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Smiling Klinsmann Questioned About His Reaction to South Korea’s Asian Cup Elimination 

South Korea's head coach Jurgen Klinsmann looks on before the semifinal soccer match between Jordan and South Korea at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (AP)
South Korea's head coach Jurgen Klinsmann looks on before the semifinal soccer match between Jordan and South Korea at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (AP)

Jurgen Klinsmann’s broad smile is part of his charm.

But on Tuesday in Qatar, the South Korea coach was left to explain why he was grinning after his team suffered a painful defeat in the semifinals of the Asian Cup.

Klinsmann warmly congratulated Jordan coach Hussein Ammouta on the field after his team produced a big upset with a 2-0 win at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.

Perhaps a little too warmly.

“For me it’s normal to congratulate the other coach when his team was better in a game. I think this is a sign of respect,” Klinsmann said when questioned about his post-game reaction. “They deserved this win today. They were the better team, but this is for me totally normal. If you say I shouldn’t smile, give somebody a smile that deserves a compliment in that moment, maybe we have different approaches.”

There has been criticism of Klinsmann and South Korea’s performances in reaching the semifinals. His tactics were questioned and the general impression is that he should have done more with such a talented squad, led by Tottenham forward Son Heung-min.

So, it may have been jarring for some to see him smile as cameras focused on him after the final whistle against a Jordan team ranked 64 places below South Korea in FIFA’s rankings.

He could then be seen seeking out Ammouta, who was celebrating on the field with players and staff.

It remains to be seen what the fallout will be after defeat to Jordan, which had never reached the semifinals of the Asian Cup before and had only advanced to the round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams in the group stage — behind South Korea.

“I am very disappointed. I’m angry because we should have done better tonight,” Klinsmann said. “We were not existent the first 20 or 30 minutes. That’s why I’m saying we give them respect because they were better, they wanted it more.

“But when the game is over, and I congratulate another coach and you smile just because of him personally and you congratulate him. I think it is not a big deal. I am certainly not walking around tonight and smiling all over the place. There were reasons why we lost this game. We have to accept those reasons. If the other team showed more on the field, which they did, then you have to give them respect.”



Mbappe Inconsistency 'Normal', Says Real Madrid's Ancelotti

Kylian Mbappé of PSG celebrates after scoring the 0-2 goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg soccer match between Real Sociedad and Paris Saint-Germain, in San Sebastian, Spain, 05 March 2024. (EPA)
Kylian Mbappé of PSG celebrates after scoring the 0-2 goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg soccer match between Real Sociedad and Paris Saint-Germain, in San Sebastian, Spain, 05 March 2024. (EPA)
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Mbappe Inconsistency 'Normal', Says Real Madrid's Ancelotti

Kylian Mbappé of PSG celebrates after scoring the 0-2 goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg soccer match between Real Sociedad and Paris Saint-Germain, in San Sebastian, Spain, 05 March 2024. (EPA)
Kylian Mbappé of PSG celebrates after scoring the 0-2 goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg soccer match between Real Sociedad and Paris Saint-Germain, in San Sebastian, Spain, 05 March 2024. (EPA)

French superstar Kylian Mbappe's "ups and downs" are to be expected because of Real Madrid's demanding season and the nature of players of his quality, said coach Carlo Ancelotti.

The striker performed poorly against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and previous La Liga match against Real Betis, just days after scoring a hat-trick against Manchester City.

Mbappe struggled in his first few months at Madrid after joining last summer from Paris Saint-Germain before bursting into form, but his last couple of appearances have caused concern among fans.

"What we saw is that against Atletico he did not do what he did against City," Ancelotti told a news conference ahead of Rayo Vallecano's visit in La Liga on Sunday.

"Against City he scored three and against Atletico he did not score.

"I think on a general level he is doing very well and we're very happy with him, and we take into account -- and he takes into account -- that he is not always at his best level.

"The game against Atletico was not the best version of him."

Real Madrid beat their city rivals 2-1 in the first leg of the last 16 tie, with the return on Wednesday at the Metropolitano stadium.

In the play-off round against Premier League champions City, Mbappe netted four goals over the two legs as Madrid won 6-3 on aggregate.

The 26-year-old striker boasts 28 goals in 41 appearances across all competitions.

"In such a demanding season (inconsistency) is quite normal, above all in a player with such quality," said Ancelotti.

"Players with quality have more ups and downs because it's something genetic, the player that has great quality finds it harder to have consistency, and that's what happened to him in that game.

"That said he's doing very well, and if we're in the Champions League last 16, it's because he's scored four goals in the (previous) tie."

Madrid are third in La Liga, three points behind leaders Barcelona, who face Osasuna on Saturday.

Los Blancos centre-back Antonio Rudiger may miss the Rayo clash through illness, Spanish media reported.

"We're ready to fight in all games and in all competitions," continued Ancelotti, who said the defeat by Betis a week ago came because the team had little time to prepare.

"I'm much calmer ahead of the game tomorrow because we've had five days of rest."