UAE Match Test for Asian Cup
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
South Korea's Olympic football team will complete its second round final game against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today.
The U-23 Olympic squad, coached by Pim Verbeek, 51, will play the Middle East country in the final qualifier for the 2008 Beijing Olympics at Daejeon World Cup Stadium at 8:00 p.m.
South Korea is 4-1 and has already won a berth in the final round, where the top 12 teams from the second round will compete for three slots from Aug. 22 to Nov. 21.
Although the qualifying match will not affect South Korea's fate, the nation's Olympic team seems resolute to retrieve its crushed reputation as Asia's No. 1 team after suffering an unexpected 0-1 defeat to Yemen last Month.
With the loss, which came at an altitude of 2,300 meters, South Korea's winning streak in 17 away games for the Olympic qualification from January 1992 came to an end.
The match will provide the Dutch coach with a final chance to check on the young footballers for the roster of the Asian Cup in July.
Midfielder Han Dong-won of Seongnam Chunma will once again play a leading role on the team.
Han, 20, has scored four goals in the past five matches of the second round and instead of the injured Park Chu-young, will team up with Yang Dong-hyen of Ulsan Tigers as the two strikers for the team.
In the previous match against the UAE on March 14, he netted two goals to lead South Korea to a 3-1 win, filling Park's place after the latter had been banned for a foul in the Feb. 28 game against Yemen.
Han connected for two goals again in the next match against Uzbekistan.
``Coach Verbeek requested my swift transfer to offense,'' said Han.
``I will try to show I am more prepared for the final round.''
Forwards Lee Keun-ho and Kim Seung-yong will help Han and Yang on the wings.
In midfield will be Lee Yo-han of Jeju United and Baek Ji-hoon of the Suwon BlueWings.
Chunnam Dragons duo Kim Jin-kyu and Kang Min-soo, praised by Verbeek for their play against Klaas Jan Huntelaar of the Netherlands in Saturday's friendly match, will be the central defense flanked by Kim Chang-soo of Daejeon Citizen and Park Hee-chul of the Pohang Steelers.