Korea seeks good year-end against Laos

South Korea forward Son Heung-min leaves Incheon International Airport on Sunday for the 2018 World Cup football qualification game against Laos scheduled for Tuesday. / Yonhap

By John Duerden

South Korea is in action in Laos on Tuesday and this is what is going to happen: the Taeguk Warriors are going to win and win big, and will also seal a spot in the final round of qualification of the 2018 World Cup.

So far there have been five games and all five have been victories with the latest a 4-0 win over Myanmar in Suwon last Thursday. Even more impressive is that the team has not conceded a single goal. It was also a 12th game unbeaten and a 15th victory in 2015. It has been an excellent 12 months for the South Korean national team. It would be a massive shock if Laos could spoil it all in the final game of the year.

The southeastern Asian team is one of the minnows even in a region that is far from the strongest in the world of football. There is little money, professionalism or facilities in the game in the country. The two teams met in September in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, with the host enjoying an 8-0 win. Son Heung-min, just days after signing for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur for the biggest fee ever paid for an Asian player, grabbed a hat-trick.

It was a one-sided contest as Steve Darby, the Englishman currently in charge of the Laos team told ESPN last month.

“Tottenham’s Son Heung-min scored three times and assisted for two goals for the Koreans in that game,” Darby said. “He’s on a multi-million pound contract but was marked by a lad who earns 200 dollars a month as a fruit seller. Our players are amateurs but are keen to play and they love international football.”

Some have said that such minnows shouldn’t be sharing a field with continental giants like Korea, but for Laos these games are special, a glimpse of what, perhaps, one day could happen. Playing against stars who appear every week in some of the world’s top leagues, can only be good for football in the country.

Ji Dong-won is one of those European-based players and is based in Germany. The 24 year-old lined up on the left side against Myanmar, setting up a goal for his Augsburg team-mate Koo Ja-cheol. “We defeated Laos 8-0 in the last game and there are a lot of people who expect a similarly big scoreline this time,” said Ji. “It's an away game but like the first game, we want to win by a good score like. Laos play in a similar way to Myanmar and if we keep focused until the end, we can get a good result.”

The forward has been in and out of the team ever since he started on the international stage at 2010. For the former English Premier League striker, there is one major contrast between this team that just seems to be winning and winning and past versions.

“We have been getting good results. There is not a big difference in anything we do but when the players take the field these days, they are confident of victory. We are also motivated by a desire to continue our record of not conceding a goal.”

More of the same is expected on Tuesday as South Korea ends what has been a very good year.