(LEAD) (Asian Cup) S. Korea coach looking beyond Asian Cup after clinching spot in final

(ATTN: ADDS comments in paras 7-9

SYDNEY, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea may have reached the AFC Asian Cup final with a 2-0 win over Iraq on Monday, and yet head coach Uli Stielike said the team must keep working to improve itself even if clinches the championship.

South Korea scored a goal in each half for its fifth consecutive victory at the continental tournament. Stielike, who took over coaching the South Korean team in October, noted that his team has gradually improved its play but still left much to be desired after the latest win.

"Today, we lost the ball way too often," he said. "We still have many players with relatively little experience. Then we have players such as Cha Du-ri and Ki Sung-yueng (who both have more than 70 caps). When these players control the ball, it becomes a whole new match. If we were to play a good match in the final, we have a lot of work to do."

South Korea defeated Uzbekistan in extra time last Thursday, while Iraq knocked out Iran the following day in a penalty shootout. South Korea had an extra day of rest, which Stielike said worked to his team's advantage on Monday.

For the championship, South Korea will meet the winner of the other semifinals match between Australia and the United Arab Emirates. South Korea defeated Australia 1-0 in the group stage, and Stielike predicted the host will advance to the final.

"Australia is a very well-prepared team," he added. "It's a tactically sound team and the players understand their roles very well. I think Australia will make the final but there may also be an upset (by the UAE)."

The coach also said if the rematch against Australia is materialized, South Korea will face an entirely different team, noting that Australia had benched some key players such as Tim Cahill and Robbie Kruse to start the group match.

South Korea hasn't allowed a goal at this tournament, a span of five matches. It also blanked Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the final warm-up match before the Asian Cup, and Stielike said Monday he'd like to see the streak continue.

"Before tonight's game, I told the players we could give up a goal and we talked about ways to respond to that," he said. "Because we haven't allowed a goal, the players might get flustered once the opponent scores. We can't keep this steak alive for a year or two years. We have to learn how to deal with it when we're scored against."

Though Stielike was hard on his own team, Iraq's head coach Radhi Shenaishil said South Korea was the far superior side as he conceded defeat.

"We hoped to reach the final, but South Korea played a great match and competed at a high level," the losing coach said. "We made two mistakes and South Korea capitalized on them to score."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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