South Korea forward Park Chu-young, second from left, walks from the pitch after his team’s 3-0 loss to Brazil in their semifinal at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday. / Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

The Taeguk Warriors will face Japan in what is likely to a tight contest for the last spot on the podium after their dreams of Olympic football gold were crushed in a bitter 3-0 loss to Brazil in Wednesday’s semifinal (KST).

“Despite the loss, the games aren’t over yet. We will try our best to win the bronze in the final match against Japan,” Korea manager Hong Myung-bo said after the defeat.

Matches between Korea and Japan are always tense affairs because of the historical ties between the two nations. And a lot rides on this match as the nation’s footballers have never come this far in the Olympics. The team’s previous best were two quarterfinal appearances. In its first Olympic competition at the 1948 London Games, Korea was soundly beaten 12-0 by Sweden. Since then, Korea featured in the Olympic football tournament seven more times prior to this year’s event but reached the quarterfinal only once more in 2004, losing 3-2 against Uruguay. Korea is now determined to take advantage of its long-awaited opportunity against its long-term rivals. Japan made history when it won the bronze medal at the 1968 Mexico Olympics but its best prior to this competition was reaching the quarterfinals at the 2000 Sydney Games.



"Our Olympic experience won’t mean anything if we don't win this game," Ki Sung-yueng said. "If we win, however, I think it's going to feel as good as winning the gold medal."

The history between Korea and Japan’s U-23 teams makes the third-place match hard to call. Previous encounters have ended with Korea winning four and losing four with four ties. It beat Japan in the group stage at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics but in the five games since September, 2009, Korea has not won any of them, enduring two draws and three losses.

The deciding factor that could upset recent form is that the result means a lot more the Korean players than just a medal as victory will grant those who took the field in London exemption from national service. Under Korean law, all able-bodied men have to serve about two years in the military, which is a big concern for many young athletes as they will probably peak in their 20s.

"There is no need to remind the players of the importance of the final game," Hong said. "Japan is excellent at passing and it has some fast players. The key to our victory relies on how fast our players can recover."

Korea and Japan will contest the bronze medal at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff at 3:45 a.m., Saturday.

Korea’s challenge for the gold was halted by Brazil at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Following midfielder Romulo’s opener in the 38th minute, Leandro Damiao struck in the 57th and 64th to advance to the final against Mexico at Wembley Stadium, also on Saturday.

Korea, off to a strong start with goal attempts by forward Ji Dong-won and a Kim Hyun-sung header cleared off the line, pressed forward against the heavy favorites, raising hopes of victory. But failure to make the chances pay hurt all the more when Romulo seized his chance, finding the net with a one-time finish. Korea fought to find an equalizer at the beginning of the second half but Brazil then struck twice to put the result beyond doubt. Goalkeeper Lee Bum-young, hero of the quarterfinal after saving Daniel Sturridge’s shot in the penalty shootout, played poorly allowing goals that may have been preventable.