Lee Keun-ho, left, and Qatar’s Tala Al Boloshi fight for the ball during their Group A 2014 World Cup Asian qualifying football in Doha, Friday. South Korea won 4-1 over Qatar. / AP-Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

The Korea national football team is now busy preparing for the second match in the final qualifying round for the 2014 World Cup against Lebanon after a 4-1 victory against Qatar.

In Doha, Friday, Korea stuttered in the beginning when Yousef Ahmad Ali scored first for the hosts after 22 minutes.

However, the lead didn’t last long. Forward Lee Keun-ho was in the perfect position when Kim Bo-kyung delivered a cross from the left wing to equalize just four minutes later.

As soon as the second half began, Korea’s offense finally kicked into gear, scoring three more goals to thrash their opponents. Defender Kwak Tae-hwi headed home 10 minutes after the restart and forward Kim Shin-wook then extended the lead. Lee netted a second goal to seal the win.

The result signals good prospects for the rest of the qualifiers and Korea’s aim for an eighth straight appearance at the Brazil World Cup. Nonetheless, some concerns were raised over the team’s defense, noting they were slow to react for Qatar’s goal, which resulted in conceding at a critical moment. Overall, however, it seemed like both the players and the manager were satisfied with the performance.

“I’m so glad that we earned a come-from-behind victory in an important away match, which put us in an advantageous position for the qualifying games to come,” manager Choi Kang-hee said in an interview at Incheon International Airport.

“Despite many difficulties such as jet lag among those who played in Switzerland, the players did really well, which resulted in a positive outcome,”he said.

Buoyed by a valuable first win in a difficult away match in sweltering heat, the manager showed confidence for Tuesday’s home game against Lebanon at Goyang Stadium in north of Seoul.

When asked about any jet lag issues, he swept it aside saying, “They are in the same boat concerning that matter. However, our team is on the upswing after victory in a difficult match, so recovery will be fast.”

The game will be aired on cable channel JTBC, as the major networks failed to reach a deal with World Sport Group on airing the final round of qualifiers.

The win lifts Korea to the top of Group A on goal difference ahead of Iran and Qatar. While the teams all have three points, Qatar have played one more game, beating Lebanon in their group opener. Uzbekistan and Lebanon round out the standings with one point each from their first two matches.