Yongin: A group of highly motivated players put on a clinical performance for South Korea, as they enjoyed a winning start as the host country of a regional football tournament Monday. Three different players found the back of the net for South Korea in their 3-0 win over China in the opening match of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, some 40 kilometers south of Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, in the absence of national team mainstays from Europe and the Middle East, head coach Hong Myung-bo called up 23 players from the domestic K League 1 and three more from Japan's J1 League for this regional tournament. With the FIFA World Cup less than a year away, this edition of the EAFF tournament carries extra significance for those Asia-based players, as they try to stake their claims on spots for the World Cup squad.
South Korean attackers had plenty of chances to make an impression on Hong and his staff Monday night. While they did not dominate the run of play, finishing with only a 55-45 edge in possession, South Korea did not miss much when they generated chances in the attacking third. Lee Dong-gyeong opened the scoring in the eighth minute on South Korea's first shot on goal, and Joo Min-kyu made it 2-0 with a 21st-minute header goal for the team's second shot on target.
Both players showcased their best assets on their scoring plays, with Lee firing a left-footed curler from the right side of the box and Joo heading home a cross while capitalizing on his physical presence in the box. With a sharp corner kick early in the second half, Lee started a play that resulted in Kim Ju-sung's 3-0 goal.
It was the first international goal for Kim, the 24-year-old center back playing in just his fourth international match. The scoring play was one of the few occasions where Kim made his presence felt in this match, because he and the rest of the defense corps were not really challenged in this breezy victory.
Hong, a former defender himself, has specifically said he picked defenders that he felt had a chance to make the World Cup squad next summer and the EAFF tournament was going to be a big test for them. Of the 10 defenders on the squad, five had no prior senior national team experience. However, given the discrepancy in talent levels, South Korea, world No. 23, will probably not be pushed by 153rd-ranked Hong Kong on Friday. For the first real test, South Korea will have to wait until facing 15th-ranked Japan on July 15.
With little work to do at their own end, some South Korean defenders were free to roam and flash their offensive skills. Left back Lee Tae-seok, who already appears to have the inside track to the World Cup gig, was a standout, as he set up Joo's first-half header with a pinpoint cross and made some dangerous forays into the attacking area.