Taeguk Warriors soaring
11 February 2005
by FIFAworldcup.com
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Korea Republic again proved their pedigree following a straightforward 2-0 win over Kuwait at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in the opening round of the qualifying finals for 2006 Germany.
It is interesting to note that the Taeguk Warriors, despite their inconsistent performances over the years, have qualified for every FIFA World Cup finals since 1986. They suffered an early exit in the 1996 Asian Cup following a notorious 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Iran, but they then emerged a different team only one year later in their qualifying campaign for 1998 France, booking an early berth after a string of convincing displays. They disappointed again in the 2000 Asian Cup with a third place finish, but under legendary Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, they made history in the 2002 FIFA World Cup with a milestone semi-final finish.
Now the baton has passed to new boss Jo Bonfrere, who kicked off his team’s run for 2006 Germany with a perfect start after they had bowed out of last year’s Asian Cup following a 4-3 defeat to Team Melli. The team had been winless in their latest four warms-up.
“The team slumped after 2002 but now we are back on track,” coach Bonfrere told FIFAworldcup.com.
His words were proved by the 2-0 win, where the Taeguk Warriors looked a better side than their opponents in every aspect. Lee Dong-Gook, stepping in for the injured 2002 World Cup hero Ahn Jung-Hwan, steered his team to the win after a blistering opening goal in the 24th minute. The 2000 Asian Cup top scorer was left out of the 2002 World Cup squad but he proved his worth to new boss Bonfrere in the Asian Cup clash with Iran, where he scored twice.
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“Lee Dong-Gook’s volley was wonderful. I am very happy as we took all three points,” said an obviously joyful Bonfrere.
PSV Eindhoven’s Lee Young-Pyo deepened Kuwait’s woes with nine minutes remaining, doubling his team’s lead.
Before the match, the team’s relatively weak defensive line was causing Bonfrere concern, particularly against a Kuwait team famous for lightning-fast counter-attacks. But the home team played with a water-tight defence throughout the 90 minutes while Kuwait were limited to a few shots on goal. “The team worked very well and they will improve game after game,” Bonfrere added.
Korea Republic will travel to Saudi Arabia on March 25 for their second qualifier. How hard will it be? Will the Taeguk Warriors extended their aura of invincibility in FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns? Time will tell.
첫댓글 알아서 해석하세요... 대충 해석해보면요 <늘 들쑥날쑥한 성적을 가진, 아시안컵에선 힘도 못쓰는 한국대표가 월드컵때만 되면 전력이 급상승하고 멋진 풀레이하는 것을 보면 참으로 흥미롭다는 내용인 것 같아요~~^^>
맞게 해석하신거 같기는 한데 좀더 긍정적인 관점에서 바라본거 같아요. 한국의 저력을 평가했다고나 할까? 뭐 그런 식으로요.