Korea successfully passes Zambia test

By Jung Min-ho

Powered by two quality goals by Lee Keun-ho, Korea beat Zambia 2-1 in Wednesday’s friendly to give fresh momentum before the resumption of the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign.

In front of 16,606 fans at the Anyang Stadium, the 18 K-League players were victorious over the Africa Cup of Nations champions, proving they are capable of success even without those Korean footballers playing in the European leagues. Ulsan Hyundai FC forward Lee, who scored a headed opener in the 16th minute, struck an excellent winner from the edge of the box two minutes into the second half.

“I really didn’t expect to score like this. Lee Dong-gook and Kim Shin-wook helped me do so,” Lee said after the game. “I’m sure the Zambia defenders had difficulty in dealing with the two tall strikers up front and it made the game easier for the rest of the players.”

After Lee’s first goal, Zambia came back strong in search of a reply and forward Emmanuel Mayuka leveled the match in the 29th minute thanks to a major slip by the home defense. However, the momentum was halted when Lee found the net right after the break.

Korea employed a 4-4-2 formation, opting for more firepower up front instead of using a lone striker as in previous outings. Although they didn’t score, the presence of the 1.87-meter Lee Dong-gook and 1.96 meter Kim was a big threat, especially aerially, and this created chances for their teammates. This was especially true for the second goal when Lee Keun-ho took advantage of the defenders being drawn by the other attackers in the penalty area, creating the space for him to strike.

Despite a short period to train together, the Taeguk Warriors looked solid in defense, other than the lapse in concentration that led to the equalizer. They dominated in the middle of the park and generally prevented the visitors little opportunity to threaten the penalty area. Zambia only managed 11 shots while Korea had 20.

The biggest achievement is that the win was accomplished by only selecting the squad from the domestic league. When those playing their football abroad are brought into the squad, it is anticipated to lead to fierce competition for starting positions.

Korea, looking for its eighth-straight World Cup appearance, is sitting on top of Group A with six points in the final qualifying round after defeating Qatar and Lebanon 4-1 and 3-0, respectively. The team will next face Uzbekistan on Sept. 11 when Asian qualifying starts again.