Match Preview: Uruguay vs South Korea

The Asian Game’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC.

The last of Asia’s six teams to get their campaign underway, South Korea have had to sit and wait while the rest of the continent get stuck into the action.

Waiting is what everyone in Korea has been doing of late. After a few nervous weeks fans of the Taegeuk Warriors received the news they were all hoping to receive, Son Heung-min is fit to play in their World Cup opener against Uruguay on Thursday.

Son’s fitness or otherwise had been the dominating narrative around Korea’s campaign ever since he fractured his eye socket playing for Tottenham in the UEFA Champions League earlier in the month.

That he will be available will be a sigh of relief for Paulo Bento given his importance to this Korean side, not just for his quality but for his leadership and how he makes every one of his teammates stand taller when he is on the pitch.

Getting the best out of Son has always been the Achilles heel of Korean coaches, with his best performances often coming in the white of Tottenham rather than the red of Korea. With Hwang Hee-chan ruled out of the opening game, and the indifferent form of Hwang Ui-jo, Bento’s preferred option at the point of the attack, the importance of Son becomes even more significant.

Hwang’s absence is a blow for Korea, with the Wolves attacker not recovering from a hamstring injury in time to be declared fit before Thursday’s clash with Uruguay. That opens up opportunities for the likes of Na Sang-ho, Song Min-kyu or even, dare we say it, Lee Kang-in.

Against the likes of Luis Suarez, Federico Valverde and Darwin Nunez, it’s going to be a baptism of fire for Korea at the Education City Stadium.

Defensive solidity will be key. While they also need to take the game to the Uruguayans, and they have the attacking talent to do so, Uruguay will likely control possession so Bento will need to set his side up in a way to provide that solidity at its base.

As we saw in Saudi Arabia’s victory over Argentina, the importance of the central defenders, and the entire defensive line, is paramount.

To that end, Kim Min-jae enters the tournament in the form of his life with Napoli and his partnership with Kim Young-gwon in the heart of the defence will be important if they’re to keep Uruguay’s attack at bay.

What’s also worth noting is Korea’s poor recent World Cup record. Since winning their opening game in South Africa against Greece in 2010, Korea has won just one of their past nine World Cup matches; a win over Germany in Russia, but one that was ultimately meaningless given Korea were already eliminated.

This generation of players, dubbed the World Cup kids given many were inspired by the exploits of their heroes in 2002. Korea is still waiting for a generation to live up to the exploits of that team.

Son Heung-min’s team get their chance to do just that tomorrow.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

SON HEUNG-MIN – Far from being the standout star of this Korean side, Son is one of the stars of international football full stop given his exploits for Tottenham in the Premier League in recent years. How much he is hindered and hampered by his facial injury, and the requirement to wear a mask, remains to be seen, but given his importance to this side there was never going to be a way he would miss.

KIM MIN-JAE – Since moving from Beijing Guoan to Fenerbahce, and more recently to Napoli, his gam has gone from strength-to-strength. An imposing figure at the back, he is the leader of this defence and against an attack as laden with talent as Uruguay, that leadership will be crucial as they look to keep them at bay. At the other end, given his size and presence, he is also a threat from set pieces.

JUNG WOO-YOUNG – If there’s one player who will be familiar with playing in this part of the world it is the midfielder who has spent the past four seasons at Al Sadd. His role in that defensive midfield position will be crucial, providing a screen for the defence and allowing those around him some creative freedom to push forward and link up with the attack.

WHAT THEY SAID

Paulo Bento – Korea coach

“Sonny will be able to play.

“I think the fact that he will be wearing a mask is not an inconvenience for him, it’s quite natural for him. We stuck with the plan when we arrived here… But we will see tomorrow how it will be.

“Our hope is that he will be comfortable to the greatest extent possible and use the best strategy so that he can feel at ease during the game. He knows and we know that after his injury we cannot take any risks.

“Our aspirations is something we conveyed, we wish to compete in the best manner possible in the three group games.

“We are well aware that we will face many difficulties with rivals we play against and we’re aware that in the history of World Cups, South Korea only advanced to knockouts twice – one of them when they were co-hosts with Japan.

“I don’t see any reason to put any pressure on their shoulders. If this was a team that always advanced, then I would say, ‘Yes, we need to qualify (for the next stage)’.”

Jung Woo-young – Korean midfielder

“Set pieces are very important to determine the outcome of the match, so this will be a big advantage for us.