South Korea ready for historic World Cup clash in Pyongyang
In this April 7, 2017 file photo, North Korean fans cheer their team against South Korea during their AFC Women's 2018 Asian Cup Group B qualifying football match at Kim Il-sung stadium in Pyongyang. North and South Korea face each other in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday for their first ever competitive men's match in Pyongyang, while talks on the North's nuclear arsenal remain deadlocked. AFP-Yonhap
By John Duerden
On Tuesday South Korea plays its first-ever competitive game in North Korea and only its second game ever in Pyongyang.
It is an important meeting in terms of qualification for the 2022 World Cup. After two games of the second round, both teams have six points each and this is the toughest test for the South of all its eight games. Whatever happens in Pyongyang, South Korea will still be expected to finish top of Group H and progress to the next stage on the road to Qatar but the game is going to be far from easy.
This is more than just a football game of course. Meetings between the two Koreas are a big deal at the best of times. When they are World Cup qualifiers ― as happened in the run up to the 2010 tournament ― the occasion is bigger. But when they take place north of the 38th Parallel for the first time since 1990 then there is always going to be a lot of international attention.
“Korean Derbies” rarely live up to that on the field however. The past six meetings have produced just four goals with the Taegeuk Warriors scoring three of those. While games have been close of late, the South has the upper hand in the fixture, losing just one of the 17 so far.
An international friendly match between North and South Korean men's teams in Pyongyang, Oct. 11, 1990, which is the only inter-Korean game held in the North Korean capital / Yonhap
Playing at Kim Il-sung Stadium will be different ― not least for the artificial grass ― even if nobody really knows how different (well, the women do as they appeared there in 2017 without incident). While the North Korean football federation has said it will treat the game like any other game and the opposition like any other opposition, this is not really the case.
There may be no live pictures from the game ― negotiations are ongoing ― and there are not going to be any journalists or fans allowed North as there have been no visas issued. The players themselves will arrive in Pyongyang today but will travel via Beijing, despite a request from the KFA that they be allowed to make the journey straight from Seoul by bus or plane.
As for the game itself, the North's defense is not as miserly as it used to be. In six games around the turn of the year, there were six defeats and 27 goals conceded. The team has tightened up since with wins against Lebanon and Sri Lanka in the group.
North Korea won 1-0 in Sri Lanka while South Korea thrashed the South Asians 8-0 last Thursday. The South's Son Heung-min scored twice with tall striker Kim Shin-wook managing four. If the team can adapt to the surroundings in Pyongyang and settle down then its class should be too much for North Korea but then the host will be nothing if not motivated.
It is a challenge for coach Paulo Bento. He has often had the team looking good in friendly games but in January's Asian Cup, South Korea did not impress. If he can engineer a win in Pyongyang then it will do his reputation no harm at all. It won't be easy as this will be a new experience for the Portuguese boss, but then, playing in Pyongyang will be a new experience for everybody.