S. Korea's Mexican mission is clear: don't lose

By John Duerden

South Korea’s mission against Mexico in men’s Olympics football on Thursday morning (KST) is simple. If the young Taeguk Warriors are to progress to the knockout stage of the 2016 Rio Olympics, they have to avoid defeat.

It could have been much better. In the second group game, Korea was seconds away from victory over Germany only to concede a goal from a free kick to tie 3-3. If that goal hadn’t gone in, Shin Tae-yong’s men would already be safely in the last eight. As it is, there is still plenty of work to do.

After the game, Shin spoke with satisfaction about his team’s attacking capability (the first game against Fiji ended in an 8-0 victory) but admitted that the defensive side of things needed strengthening.

That is going to be tested. While Korea took bronze in 2012, Mexico won gold. Now, Mexico knows that it has to win or likely be eliminated.

Coach Shin has said that while he knows a tie will be okay, he will go for the win. This is standard coach-speak in such situations. It is dangerous to play for a tie. One goal and the whole game plan is out the window.

Mexico is likely to be aggressive in the early stages, looking to put pressure on the Korean defense, get the goal it needs and then sit back. In such a situation, Korea will have to pour forward and will leave itself open to counter-attack.

Shin prefers to attack rather than defend and if Korea is to go all the way, the back four needs to tighten. Against Germany, fullbacks Shim Sang-min and Lee Seul-chan looked dangerous going forward with Lee’s fine assist for the third (and what should have been the winning) goal, a standout, but the pair looked vulnerable at the back and were caught out of position.

It is not easy for an Olympics coach. The central defenders looked to be on different wavelengths at times and the distribution from the back was poor with passes going astray. But then there is limited time before such tournaments to work on such things. And had the last-minute free kick not taken a deflection off the Korean wall then nobody would care.

Yet Ryu Seung-woo, scorer of a hat trick against Fiji, should return against Mexico and many would like to see the skillful Kwon Chang-hoon playing in a central position. Central defender Choi Gyu-beak has a head injury and could miss out. That may mean Jang Hyun-soo moving back into the back four, but given his indifferent passing from midfield, that may not be a bad thing.

Still, Korea can take confidence from more than matching Germany and being disappointed in a tie. Mexico has talent, but can be beaten.

It could depend on the first 20 minutes. If Korea holds out then there will be excellent opportunities to counter-attack the increasingly desperate opposition with the likes of Son Heung-min and Ryu Seung-woo able to make a real impact.

If Korea concedes early, then it could be a struggle.

Whatever happens, it is going to be worth getting up early for.