Algeria loss painful; big victory over Belgium remains only hope
By Kim Tae-jong
It's not over yet.
However faint it may look, it's too early to give up the hope that Korea will advance to the knockout stage in the World Cup in Brazil.
That may sound like an overstatement, considering the way the Taeguk Warriors conceded three goals in a helpless fashion in the first half of their match against Algeria, Monday morning (KST).
Theoretically, the 4-2 loss means further progress of the Koreans from Group H, which also has Belgium and Russia, in the tournament appears unlikely.
But the Korean squad is not out yet, and it needs to play hard until the very end, which is the first formula for a miracle.
The best scenario would be Korea defeating Belgium by at least two goals, and Russia beating Algeria by one goal. If Russia and Algeria draw, Korea needs to beat Belgium by at least three goals.
Belgium, which is leading the group, will likely save some of its key players for the knockout stage, while Russia and Algeria will fight hard to secure the remaining ticket into the next round.
So the Korean team should focus on Belgium, hoping for a favorable result in the Algeria-Russia game.
The performance of the Korean team's backline was not even close to something that a national team should show at the World Cup.
All the players, including goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong, did not seem to know what to do in the first half, while the Algerians easily ravaged their opponents' defense line.
Algeria took the lead as striker Islam Slimani easily scored in the 25th minute and, just two minutes later, goalkeeper Jung allowed Rafik Halliche a free header on goal with his clumsy movement.
At the 38-minute mark, unmarked Abdelmoumene Djabout did not miss his chance for a third.
Coach Hong Myung-bo admitted that a lack of concentration in the first half led the team to crumble.
"In fact, we lacked concentration, and we weren't able to respond to the Algerian attack with intelligence," said Hong after the match in Porto Alegre. "Right from the beginning, it was the defense that crumbled. It was not well organized."
The Koreans also struggled even to unleash a shot, with not a single shot on target before the interval.
But they were different in the second half, showing some of their potential. They were better organized and determined to recover.
After Son Heung-min scored in the 50th minute, the Koreans started to push their opponent hard until the end.
But Yacine Brahimi's second-half strike made it almost impossible for the Koreans to reverse the result, although Koo Ja-cheol later got another goal for his team.
What's important in the second half was not simply the two goals, but the fact that the team showed its strong fighting spirit.
If they were able to show it from the first half, supporters in their country might have had a totally different and pleasant Monday morning.
After the 1-1 tie in its opening match against Russia, the Korean team had to beat Algeria and the "must win" pressure appeared to get to the Koreans.
But as shown in the second half, the Koreans definitely have the potential to prove themselves.
By Kim Tae-jong
It's not over yet.
However faint it may look, it's too early to give up the hope that Korea will advance to the knockout stage in the World Cup in Brazil.
That may sound like an overstatement, considering the way the Taeguk Warriors conceded three goals in a helpless fashion in the first half of their match against Algeria, Monday morning (KST).
Theoretically, the 4-2 loss means further progress of the Koreans from Group H, which also has Belgium and Russia, in the tournament appears unlikely.
But the Korean squad is not out yet, and it needs to play hard until the very end, which is the first formula for a miracle.
The best scenario would be Korea defeating Belgium by at least two goals, and Russia beating Algeria by one goal. If Russia and Algeria draw, Korea needs to beat Belgium by at least three goals.
Belgium, which is leading the group, will likely save some of its key players for the knockout stage, while Russia and Algeria will fight hard to secure the remaining ticket into the next round.
So the Korean team should focus on Belgium, hoping for a favorable result in the Algeria-Russia game.
The performance of the Korean team's backline was not even close to something that a national team should show at the World Cup.
All the players, including goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong, did not seem to know what to do in the first half, while the Algerians easily ravaged their opponents' defense line.
Algeria took the lead as striker Islam Slimani easily scored in the 25th minute and, just two minutes later, goalkeeper Jung allowed Rafik Halliche a free header on goal with his clumsy movement.
At the 38-minute mark, unmarked Abdelmoumene Djabout did not miss his chance for a third.
Coach Hong Myung-bo admitted that a lack of concentration in the first half led the team to crumble.
"In fact, we lacked concentration, and we weren't able to respond to the Algerian attack with intelligence," said Hong after the match in Porto Alegre. "Right from the beginning, it was the defense that crumbled. It was not well organized."
The Koreans also struggled even to unleash a shot, with not a single shot on target before the interval.
But they were different in the second half, showing some of their potential. They were better organized and determined to recover.
After Son Heung-min scored in the 50th minute, the Koreans started to push their opponent hard until the end.
But Yacine Brahimi's second-half strike made it almost impossible for the Koreans to reverse the result, although Koo Ja-cheol later got another goal for his team.
What's important in the second half was not simply the two goals, but the fact that the team showed its strong fighting spirit.
If they were able to show it from the first half, supporters in their country might have had a totally different and pleasant Monday morning.
After the 1-1 tie in its opening match against Russia, the Korean team had to beat Algeria and the "must win" pressure appeared to get to the Koreans.
But as shown in the second half, the Koreans definitely have the potential to prove themselves.
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