Fine finish gives S. Korea perfect start

Son Heung-min, center, celebrates after scoring during a group C match of the men’s Olympic football tournament between Fiji and South Korea at the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador, Brazil, Friday (KST). Korea won 8-0. / AP-Yonhap

By John Duerden

South Korea’s opening game of the 2016 Rio Olympics went as well as coach Shin Tae-yong could have hoped. The Taegeuk Warriors thrashed Fiji 8-0 in Salvador, Thursday (local time), and rested star players Son Heung-min and Suk Hyun-jun for much of the match.

Both came off the bench to score late in the game to add to the two goals that Kwon Chang-hoon managed and the hat trick from Ryu Seung-woo.

It sets Korea up perfectly for the tougher tests to come: Germany and Mexico, as the team strives to finish in the top two in the group and progress to the last eight.

All goals except one came in the second half. It was threatening to become a frustrating day for the Korean team, with Fiji defending deep.

The star for the islanders was goalkeeper Simone Tamanisau, who kept out several first-half attempts. Korea started a little nervously, knowing that a big win was needed.

With too many misplaced passes, it took time for the Reds to find their rhythm and the deadlock was not broken until the 32nd minute when Kwon found Ryu at the far post.

Fans sat back expecting the floodgates to open. They did not, even when the referee gave a penalty with Moon Chang-jin shooting against the post.

With an hour of the game gone, it was still 1-0. That means all seven goals came in the last 30 minutes. As soon as Kwon made it 2-0, Korea went goal crazy.

Korea intercepted as soon as Fiji kicked off and scored a third. And the same happened from the next restart. From 1-0 at 62 minutes, it was 4-0 after 63 ― quite incredible.

It knocked the stuffings out of the Fiji team and allowed Son and Suk to be introduced with no pressure to score. Son scored the fifth, a penalty. Suk grabbed two and in the final moments, Ryu completed his hat trick.

So a perfect start after all. Now Korea can look forward to taking on Germany on Monday morning, Seoul time. It goes without saying that it will be a tougher challenge. The Germans tied Mexico 2-2 in the opening game and will be aiming for a win against Korea.

Fans can be sure that Son and Suk will not start the next match on the bench. But now they should be rested and confident. A win puts the Korean team into the last eight with a game to spare and within sight of the semifinals and the Olympic podium.

It’s not yet time to be thinking of that. Korea has started perfectly but there is still much work to do.