Korea improving, but Belfast loss shows there is much to do

By John Duerden

Korea's preparations for the 2018 World Cup that starts in June were hit by a 2-1 loss against Northern Ireland in Belfast on Saturday.

Korea took the lead through Kwon Chang-hoon, but the host hit back with a Kim Min-jae own goal midway through the first half.

Substitute Paul Smyth scored the winning goal with just four minutes remaining.

It was a cruel way for Korea to lose, even if some of the world's best have found Windsor Park a tough destination.

For the first 15-20 minutes, Shin Tae-yong's men looked very good, passing with speed and intelligence and when Kwon, the French-based midfielder who has been in fine form for Dijon, opened the scoring, it was looking very good indeed.

With the World Cup and games against Germany, Mexico and Sweden just 10 weeks away, it was a bright start, but when Kim Min-jae put the ball into his own net when trying to clear a free-kick after 21 minutes, Korea was back to square one.

The team was never quite as fluent again, although there were flashes from Lee Jae-sung another impressive performer.

Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min did not have much impact and looked to be a little out of step with the rest of the team. It is to be hoped that the game with Poland on Tuesday will give the players more time to gel.

The lessons learned from the game were all known before. Korea should have won with 13 shots compared to four, but if you do not take your chances then you will be punished on the international stage.

Better teams than Northern Ireland are waiting in Russia. Korea has to be more ruthless in front of the goal.

One reason for that is because the defense is not capable of holding out. The back four were not under much pressure for Northern Ireland. The host rarely threatened. But a first-half mistake and a late lapse in concentration meant that a game which was there for the taking was lost.

In itself, the defeat is not a major problem because it is about preparing for the World Cup. But the loss, which came late in the game and was undeserved, may be a blow to the team's fragile confidence. Last year was not a great one, with Korea limping over the line to Russia.

The game in Poland will be tougher and the host will ask more questions of the defense. Korea needs to bounce back from the disappointment of defeat to put in a solid performance.

A win is not necessary -- although it would be most welcome -- because a tie would be welcome.

More than that, a hint that these longstanding weaknesses of the national team -- an inability to convert chances at one end and individual defensive mistakes at the other -- is what coach Shin is looking for.