One Napoli player was in action on Monday. Kim Min-jae played the full 90 minutes in South Korea’s 4-1 defeat to Brazil in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16.
Kim drew the attention of Napoli fans in the build-up to the match, stating that he would do everything possible to play against Brazil, even if he got a more serious injury doing it.
However, Kim trained with the Korea squad on Sunday and did not seem hampered by the injured calf in the match. Nevertheless, Kim spent most of the match playing as a sweeper.
Though he was not directly at fault for any of Brazil’s goals, the South Korean team collectively struggled with Brazil’s pace and creativity. Surprisingly, even after trailing by four goals before the break, Kim was not removed from the match.
The Napoli defender was slightly more adventurous in the second half, but it was too little too late. Kim became the fifth and final Napoli player to exit the competition, after Hirving Lozano, Mathias Olivera, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Piotr Zielinski.
