Two Koreas Battle to Scoreless Draw
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
South and North Koreas played to a scoreless draw in their final match in the third World Cup qualifying round.
In the first FIFA-organized match which was held on the Korean Peninsula between the two sides on Sunday night, the Huh Jung-moo-led South Korean squad predominated over the opposing team through the full 90 minutes, but had to leave the ground with no decision.
Irrespective of the match's result, the two Koreas have already earned appearances to the final qualifying round.
Both recorded three wins and three draws while garnering 12 points, but a goal difference put the South on the top of table in Group 3 - seven to four.
The two Koreas and the eight other qualifying nations will square off in the final round, which starts on Sept. 6, for 4 1/2 berths.
With the tie, South Korea is 5-1 with 6 draws in the international match fixtures between two Koreas.
The headman put 187-centimeter Ko Ki-gu, who had not started before the game, on a one-top to attack the relatively small North Korean defenders, which did not allow a goal in the past five qualifiers, but the North's aggressive defense earned him few chances.
In the 12th minute, a well-worked set piece saw Kim Jung-woo of Seongnam Chunma fire the ball on the right edge of the penalty area after collecting back from Kim Do-heon.
Kim Jung-woo, who played in the J-League with Nagoya Grampus 8, created a chance again by sending in a cross on the right corner, which was nodded wide of the goal in five minutes.
The beleaguered North side struck back in the 37th as Hong Yong-jo, the only player on the North Korean squad to play in the European league with FK Bezanija in Serbia, volleyed a cross from defender Cha Jong-hyok, but goalie Jung Sung-ryong denied it.
Seven minutes into the second half, West Bromwich Albion winger Kim Do-heon, who hit a hat-trick against Turkmenistan last week, unleashed a shot after beating a defender, but goalkeeper Ri Mying-guk produced a nice diving save.
The Taeguk Warriors continued attacking the opponents, lashing a series of mid-range shots, and finally, it seemed to pay off when substitute Park Chu-young collected a pass beating two defenders from FC Seoul teammate Lee Chung-yong and found himself unmarked in the penalty area, but his shot went wide of the post.
Although the North Korea's several threatening counterattacks bothered the South, they were not enough to claim a victory.