DOHA, Qatar -- Australia will enter their Asian Cup quarterfinal against South Korea with plenty of respect for Son Heung-Min but, after facing off repeatedly against Lionel Messi over the last 14 months, will not fear him.
Saved by a 99th-minute equaliser from Cho Gue-Sung, Korea earned a dramatic, penalty shootout win over Saudi Arabia on Tuesday evening to set up a meeting with the Socceroos in the quarterfinals this Friday, almost nine years to the day since Australia downed the Taegeuk Warriors 2-1 in the 2015 final.
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Son scored a 91st-minute leveller to force that decider into extra time back in that fixture and now, nearly a decade on, the 31-year-old is recognised as one of the world's best players.
"I rang Ange [Postecoglou, Son's Australian coach at Tottenham Hotspur] and asked Ange if he'd take him back!" Australia boss Graham Arnold joked.
"That's where we have to be on song. Our defensive structure, our defensive shape has been very good ... clean sheets win you tournaments.
"But if you give these type of opponents [time], and if you're a bit sloppy and you know give them one bit of space, well then you can get punished."
Arnold was in a good mood two days out from the quarterfinal, expressing relief that the Socceroos wouldn't play in front of the loud, large, and hostile Saudi fanbase thanks to Korea's last-gasp victory.
The likes of Son, Lee Kang-In, and Hwang Hee-Chan, however, are no laughing matter for the Socceroos, the attack of a golden generation of Korean players that remains trophyless in major tournaments despite potentially being the nation's most talent-laden team in history.
But the Socceroos have become proficient in defending against global megastars as of late, with two fixtures against Messi's Argentina, as well as games against England and Mexico, steeling, in theory, their resolve. Though yet to truly click offensively, Australia possess the equal stoutest defence at the Asian Cup with a single goal conceded, in contrast to Korea's seven, and have yet to trail in any of their fixtures.
"Our defensive record [is good]," said defender Aziz Behich. "Even in the World Cup, especially against Argentina, no one gave us a chance. They said the game will be done and dusted in the first half.
"We pride ourselves on defending as a team, it's not just the back four. In this tournament, we've shown that. We've limited the opposition to so few chances. It's going to be no different going into this.
"We don't focus on individuals in teams. Yeah, you have to be careful, it's obviously in the back of your mind as a player when you're on the pitch that these types of world-class players can change a game in a moment. But it's all about us and what we can do as a team."
One area where the Socceroos are likely to have a distinct advantage is the physical one.
Beyond Arnold's side reputation as one of the hardest running and imposing sides in Doha, the tournament scheduling their round of 16 game last Sunday afforded them an extra 53-and-a-half hours of recovery ahead of what the Socceroos' coach expects to be an open game against a Korean outfit that won't sit back.
Though promising his side would take great energy from their win and recover well, Korean coach Jürgen Klinsmann cursed these circumstances in the aftermath of his side's win over the Saudis, noting that this discrepancy was why it had been so important his side top their group, which they couldn't do after back-to-back draws with Jordán and Malaysia.
"[Against Indonesia] the plan was to keep the ball, move the ball, move them side to side, wear them out, and then come on with a bang," Arnold said, reflecting on his side's 4-0 win in the round of 16 in which his side scored twice in the final minutes.
"In these types of games, I think we've shown over the last couple of years, especially the last year our strength is our physicality and our intent of pressing and in counter-pressing and not giving the opposition time on the ball, working hard and playing at a high intensity.
"And that won't change. We'll go out there and put pressure on them, make sure that we get our game plan right and our mindset right."