South Korea Draws With Syria on Road
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
South Korea played out a scoreless draw against Syria in Damascus Wednesday, ending their three-game wining streak in the third and final round of the Olympic qualifiers.
Although Park Seong-hwa's side remain on course for a sixth consecutive berth in an Olympic tournament, the result will only add ammunition to the coach's critics who blame him for the team's barren run on the offensive end. The Koreans have scored more than once in only one match in the past four.
Park had hoped the return of FC Seoul striker Park Chu-young, his highest-profile player, would help solve the team's scoring problems, but the oft-injured 22-year-old looked rusty after his near eight-month absence and failed to put any fear into the Syrian defenders.
Perhaps Chu-young would have fared a little bit better if Park had paired him with a main striker who could stretch the defense for him. Chu-young's frontline partnership with Kim Seung-yong, a diminutive slasher who masqueraded as the target man, continued to falter as the Koreans failed to attack the Syrian defense with pace and purpose.
Chu-young, eager to have his presence felt, squandered an opportunity in the 13th minute when he volleyed a left-footer above the crossbar. The Koreans bumbled on another scoring chance six minutes later when Oh Jang-eun's header from close range rattled the left-side of the post.
The Koreans nearly paid for their missed opportunities in the 38th minute when goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong rushed to block a free kick attempt by Syria's Mohnd Al Ebrahim that sailed dangerously above the traffic.
Park took out Kim at the start of the second period and replaced him with the Seo Dong-hyeon, a lanky 1.88-meter forward, in the hopes of giving the team an aerial threat.
The move seemed to pay off Chu-young looked more at ease with his new target man, which gave the Korean attack a new sense of urgency. However, Chu-young missed a crucial chance to put his team up in the 60th minute when he passed on a clear-cut chance inside the box and instead made an ill-advised pass to Lee Chung-yong who had no prayer of collecting the ball.
Lee Keun-ho found himself unmarked in the box five minutes later but his volley was deflected by the acrobatic Syrian goalkeeper Ali Al Holami.
Lee missed another chance in the 71st minute when his header from close range sailed over the crossbar.