Korea faces Lebanon test on home turf

By Jung Min-ho

Korean football will face another test today on its path to the 2014 World Cup, when the national team take on Lebanon at Goyang Stadium.

“We have to win, that is most important. So, we are going to try our best to earn three points in the game,” Korea football team manager Choi Kang-hee said in an interview held Monday.

Choi said he and his team will be vigilant against the visiting team’s defense-oriented tactics.

“Because the visiting team has strong stamina, we have to take risks to score, which leaves us vulnerable to counterattacks. We have to be careful about them,” Choi said.

The players will be buoyed by Friday’s landslide victory against Qatar but some weaknesses have been exposed in the past two games with Spain and Qatar. The team’s performances have left many fans unsure on the chances of a second consecutive win.

Questions are being asked about the defense, noting it has been slow to react to attacking threats, which resulted in conceding the first goal in both previous outings. The ability to respond quickly to fast attacking plays is key for continued success.

Fortunately, manager Choi’s offense-oriented strategies worked in turning the game around against Qatar, thanks to Lee Keun-ho’s equalizer in the first half followed by three more goals in the second period. However, in the friendly with Spain, Korea’s offense was easily cut out, leading to a 4-1 defeat.

Moreover, finding a striker to replace Park Chu-young is another tough task. Lee Keun-ho and Kim Shin-wook have done well in the past two games but they still have to fine tune their skills to reach the same level as the Arsenal forward.

A more urgent issue for tonight’s qualifier is to find a way to support the attack as forward Kim Shin-wook is suspended after reaching the yellow card limit.

Choi is confident on overcoming any jet lag issues saying, “Our team is on an upswing after victory in a difficult match, so recovery will be fast.” But the players will not be completely rested after a nine-hour flight. As Lebanon are facing the same issue, one aspect of home advantage is apparently gone.

“During the World Cup draws, I was hoping that Lebanon would join the same group as us since I wanted to get even about our team’s loss,” Choi said.

Korea are tied at the top of Group A with Iran and Qatar on three points but have a better goal difference. Qatar defeated Lebanon in their group opener and stand third but after two games. While Korea host Lebanon, Iran will meet Qatar in Tehran.