Toughest test awaits South Korea

It's not a cozy situation in many ways: The weather is capricious, the air is thin, and the opposing team is very strong. The national football team, however, is brimming with confidence in the run-up to today's Group B match against Argentina.

Argentina match to be critical watershed for World Cup campaign

By Kim Hyun-cheol
Staff reporter

It's not a cozy situation in many ways: The weather is capricious, the air is thin, and the opposing team is very strong. The national football team, however, is brimming with confidence in the run-up to today's Group B match against Argentina.

The match is expected to be a critical watershed for its World Cup campaign. While a win against the powerhouse can't definitively ensure a berth to the next round at the moment, a loss will surely corner the team with growing pressure before the last group clash with Nigeria on June 23. It is also going to be a harsh test for the Taeguk Warriors, as several factors are expected to give them a tougher time than expected.

The fickle climate at the venue could be a factor for both sides ― temperatures in Johannesburg stood at only 3 degrees Celsius when the Korean squad arrived there early Wednesday morning. The weather is forecast to stay cold during the match, with Thursday's temperature expected to fluctuate massively between ― 1 to 11 degrees Celsius.

What's more, the high altitude of the venue is not likely to benefit the Koreans either as Johannesburg is located 1,753 meters above sea level.

South Korea prepared for the thin-air conditions in 1,233 meter-high Rustenberg for three days, and also trained at altitude in Neustift, Austria last month before flying to South Africa. But it may not be enough to give the team an advantage, as the South Americans have been staying in Johannesburg since their first group-stage match there.

Most of all, Argentina is undoubtedly one of the teams to shine at this year's World Cup, with all its players regarded as among the best in the world. The two-time World Cup champion has not lost in its last two encounters with South Korea.

From a different standpoint, South Korean coach Huh Jung-moo might wants to take revenge on Argentinean coach Diego Maradona. They met in the 1986 World Cup finals where South Korea advanced to the finals for the first time in 32 years, and the match ended in an easy 3-1 victory for Argentina.

In its offense, Argentina has one of the world's best lineup of strikers, including the red-hot Lionel Messi. But even without the Barcelona forward, the country can boast overwhelming attackers in Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez and Diego Milito.

Huh has remained humble about the prospects for the game, but with a twist of undisguised ambition of stirring up another shock following the first win over Greece.

"It's like a battle between David and Goliath. But in the Bible, David won in the end," Huh told reporters Monday. "All our players are hell bent on not missing out on the chance following the opening victory."

South Korea is expected to employ a 4-2-3-1 formation, which was used in the team's Spain warmup, instead of a 4-4-2 format. Park Chu-young will be the sole striker, with Park Ji-sung, Yeom Ki-hoon and Lee Chung-yong backing him.

To Korean captain Park Ji-sung, the game will be another meaningful challenge because he can write a new chapter in Asian football history. If the Manchester United midfielder scores in the game, he will be the first Asian footballer to earn four goals overall at the World Cup.

With a second goal against Greece last week, his third in World Cup finals, Park became the first Asian player to score in three consecutive tournaments. He is now tied with teammate Ahn Jung-hwan and Sami Al-Jaber of Saudi Arabia in total goals.

가장 힘든 상대, 아르헨티나

여러 면에서 기분 좋을 수만 있는 상황은 아니다. 변덕스러운 현지 날씨, 경기장의 희박한 공기, 막강한 상대팀 등. 그럼에도 불구하고 한국은 오늘 벌어질 아르헨티나 팀과의 경기를 기다리고 있는 지금 자신감이 넘쳐나고 있다.

이번 경기는 월드컵의 중요한 반환점이 될 것 같다. 최강팀의 하나인 아르헨티나를 누른다고 해서 다음 16강에 오른다는 보장이 되는게 아닌 반면, 패배할 경우 23일 B조 마지막 경기인대(對) 나이지리아 전에서 한국 팀이 견뎌내야 할 압박은 엄청날 것이다.

여러 면에서 이번 경기는 태극 전사들에게 어려운 시험대가 될 것으로 전망되고 있다.

변덕스러운 날씨는 양 팀 모두에게 영향을 끼칠 것으로 보인다. 수요일 아침 한국 팀이 도착했을 때 요하네스버그의 기온은 섭씨 3도를 넘지 않았다. 목요일 기온 역시 섭씨 영하 1도에서 영상 11도 사이를 오르내릴 것으로 예보되었으며 경기 내내 매우 추울 것으로 전망된다.
해발 1,753 미터의 높은 고도라는 경기장도 한국 팀이 넘어야 할 장애물이다.

높은 고도의 희박한 공기에 적응하기 위해 한국 팀은 지난 3일간 해발 1,233 미터의 루스텐버그에 머물렀으며, 남아공으로 출발하기 전 한달 간 오스트리아의 고도의 도시 노이슈트프트에서 훈련을 거쳤다. 그러나 첫 그룹 경기 때부터 요하네스버그에 머물러 있던 남미 축구 선수들과 상대해야 할 것을 생각하면 한국 팀의 상황은 유리하지 않다.

무엇보다, 세계 최고의 선수들로 구성되어 있는 아르헨티나 팀은 이번 월드컵 경기에 유력한 우승 후보로 여겨지고 있다. 이미 두 차례 월드컵 우승국인 아르헨티나는 한국 팀과 가진 두 차례의 경기에서 이긴 경력이 있다.