The 90th Minute Soccer Blog » South Korean National Team

Zaccheroni, the samurai from Cesenatico

Stephen Goodfellow — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:37:48 +0000

In the Adriatic province of Cesenatico, where winter days are spent between the fishing of the clams the town calls poverazze and ripe cheese on piadina, a type of local pita bread, Zaccheroni’s achievements with Japan in the Asian Cup must have made headlines. Zaccheroni’s Japan has reached the finals by beating first Qatar 3-2 and then South Korea after penalties. In the footsteps of the Dutch wanderer Guus Hiddink, Zaccheroni is the latest example of a particular kind of made in Italy; his export also proves that the problems at Juventus last season were far beyond his control.

The match with Qatar offers significant tactical ideas. First of all, Japan adopted an advanced “high diamond”, supported by two holding midfielders, managing to keep Qatar’s full-backs on the back foot. If one places dotted lines on the formation, the effect would be somewhat similar to what Arsenal is doing this season: the movements inscribed within a rhomboid perimeter. The only disadvantage of this structure was a rather high and too chancy line of defense, which exposed Japan at deadly counterattacks.

After one of Japan’s central defenders was shown a red card, Zaccheroni reshuffled his men in an innovative 4-2-3 disposition, dropping the lone striker. Again, as in the first half, the use of three hybrid winger/playmakers did a lot of damage despite the numerical inferiority, and created corridors for Kagawa’s penetrations. Small in size and fluid in style, Japan’s no. 10 enjoyed a similar position to that of Oezil with Germany. The following video documents the two goals that completed Japan’s sensational comeback.

Zac, the Shogun from Meldola

The semi-final won against South Korea shows a different structure, more cagey. Both teams were equipped with a 4-2-3-1, and utilized well the space. The game was at times so fast one could hardly think. The tactical key for Zaccheroni was the linear progression of Nagatomo inviting cross on the left, something that forced Korea into a defensive 4-1-4-1.

Zac, the Shogun (Nagatomo bombing forward)

The Asian Cup sees the rise of a new formula of ‘total football’, whose tactical language is ultimately Dutch-inflected and partly suggested by the average height of the players. Among the freelancing coaches who are experiencing this paradigm, the Italian Zaccheroni is only the latest embodiment and one of the most intriguing for a country once known for its defensive pride and its zelous application of 4-4-2 looms.

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Uruguay 2-1 South Korea – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – World Cup – 26 June 2010

Jonathon Feyerherm — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 16:06:47 +0000

The round of 16 in the 2010 FIFA World Cup began with Uruguay facing South Korea. Both sides have surprised in the group stage as Uruguay won Group A and South Korea were second in Group B. The winner would play the winner of USA v Ghana in the quarterfinals.

Uruguay 2-1 South Korea Video Highlights

The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights.

Uruguay 2-1 South Korea Recap

It was a very entertaining match but Uruguay would win the match on a fantastic goal from Luis Suarez.

The two goals for Uruguay were both scored by Suarez who gave them a 1-0 lead in the 8th minute then a 2-1 lead in the 80th minute. The second goal was brilliant as he curled a shot to the far post that hit off the far post. South Korea’s goal was from Lee Chung-Yong in the 68th minute. The Asian side had chances to take the lead in the match and to tie it up late but couldn’t convert.

It was far from dominating from Uruguay and really could have gone either way or into extra time. The win has Uruguay into the quarterfinal round where they will play the winner of the United States v Ghana match. Even though they lost the match, it was a successful run for the South Koreans.

Uruguay 2-1 South Korea Match Stats

14(7)	Shots (on Goal)	15(4)
12	Fouls	12
3	Corner Kicks	3
1	Offsides	0
40%	Time of Possession	60%
0	Yellow Cards	3
0	Red Cards	0
3	Saves	5

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Uruguay v South Korea Preview, Prediction, and TV Listings

Jonathon Feyerherm — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:51:41 +0000

The knockout stage begins with the round of 16 as Uruguay faces South Korea. The match will take place at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa on Saturday, June 26, 2010. Kickoff is scheduled for 15:00 BST, 16:00 local time in South Africa, and 10:00 EST.

It will be televised on ESPN in the United States, ITV 1 in the United Kingdom, CBC in Canada, SBS in Australia, Al Jazeera in the Middle East, ZDF in Germany, and on SuperSport in Africa. You can also find the match at the link on the bottom of this post.

Uruguay v South Korea Preview

Both teams have surprised with their runs into the knockout stage. Uruguay won Group A while South Korea was second in Group B. It’s a great opportunity for both teams to make a deep run into the final stages as Brazil, Argentina, and Spain are all in other parts of the draw.

Uruguay are led by striker Diego Forlan who has probably been the best player in the entire tournament through the group stage. Forlan has two goals and will be main focus of the attack for Uruguay. Along with Forlan, he will get help from Luis Suarez who is very capable of taking advantage if the defense puts too much emphasis on Forlan.

South Korea advanced with a 1-1-1 record in the group stage and are not favored in this match. Park Ji Sung, captain of the team, has been one of the Koreans’ best players and a key to their success. Another player to watch from South Korea is defender Lee Jung-Soo who has two goals in three matches.

While South Korea is not a team that has surprised, they lack the quality of the South Americans. Uruguay have had great performances and are very dangerous in the final third. Forlan should once again lead them to victory with either an assist or goal.

Competition Stats

	Uruguay	South Korea
Goals	Diego Forlán 2	Lee Jung-Soo 2
Assists	Luis Suárez 1
Yellows	Diego Lugano 1	Lee Chung-Yong 1
Reds	Nicolás Lodeiro 1

Betting Odds

Uruguay win – 5/6

Draw – 12/5

South Korea win – 7/2

Uruguay v South Korea Prediction

Uruguay will win the 2-1.

Watch Uruguay v South Korea Live Online

The match can be seen at Free Live Sports TV.

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2010 FIFA World Cup Group B Final Standings: Argentina & South Korea advance

Jonathon Feyerherm — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:49:41 +0000

All the matches in Group B are finished as Argentina and South Korea will advance to the knockout stage. Argentina won the group with a perfect 3-0-0 record and 9 points while South Korea advanced with 4 points and a 1-1-1 record. It was a tight finish for the second spot with Greece and Nigeria having chances but unable to get the results in the final match. Below are the final Group B standings.

2010 FIFA World Cup Group B Final Standings

TEAMS	P	W	L	F	A	GD	PTS
Argentina	2	2	0	5	1	4	6
South Korea	2	1	1	3	4	-1	3
Greece	2	1	1	2	3	-1	3
Nigeria	2	0	2	1	3	-2	0

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Nigeria 2-2 South Korea – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – World Cup – 22 June 2010

Jonathon Feyerherm — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:44:37 +0000

It was a crucial match in Group B as Nigeria faced South Korea with a spot in the knockout stage on the line. A win from Nigeria would likely put them through while South Korea would likely need only a draw. It was a match with neither side an overwhelming favorite and both with a good chance to get a result.

Nigeria 2-2 South Korea Video Highlights

The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights.

Nigeria 2-2 South Korea Recap

South Korea would hold on for a 2-2 draw and advance to the knockout stage of the 2010 World Cup.

Nigeria would get goals from Kalu Uche in the 12th minute and Yakubu in the 69th minute while South Korea’s were from Lee Jung-Soo in the 38th minute and Park Chu-Young in the 49th minute.

Nigeria would have several chances late in the match to get a third goal but couldn’t convert any of them. A win would have put them in the next stage but they become another African side who’ve failed to make it out of the group stage.

Nigeria 2-2 South Korea Match Stats

11(3)	Shots (on Goal)	16(8)
22	Fouls	12
1	Corner Kicks	7
1	Offsides	2
46%	Time of Possession	54%
3	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
6	Saves	1

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2010 FIFA World Cup Group B Scenarios

Jonathon Feyerherm — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:48:15 +0000

It’s down to the last set of group stage match in Group B with four teams fighting for two spots in the knockout stage. The South Americans are likely to finish first but every other side still has a chance getting the other spot. South Korea will faces Nigeria in one match while Argentina plays Greece in the other one. So who will advance to the knockout stage? Below are a list of different scenarios of how each team can qualify for the next round.

2010 FIFA World Cup GROUP B Scenarios

Argentina advances with:
(a) Win or tie versus Greece
(b) South Korea tie/loss versus Nigeria
(c) Loss as long as both South Korea and Greece do not make up tiebreakers

South Korea advances with:
(a) Win versus Nigeria and Greece does not either (1) win by greater margin, or (2) win by same margin and score 2+ more goals
(b) Tie and Greece tie/loss

Greece advances with:
(a) Win versus Argentina and South Korea tie/loss
(b) Win by greater margin than South Korea
(c) Win by same margin as South Korea and score 2+ more goals
(d) Tie and South Korea loss
(e) Win by 3+ goals

Nigeria advances with:
(a) Win versus South Korea and Argentina win

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Nigeria v South Korea Preview, Prediction, and TV Listings

Jonathon Feyerherm — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:29:04 +0000

The second spot into the knockout stage from Group B is at stake as Nigeria faces South Korea. The match will take place at Durban Stadium in Durban, South Africa on Tuesday, June 22, 2010. Kickoff is scheduled for 19:30 BST, 20:30 local time in South Africa, and 14:30 EST.

It will be televised on ESPN 2 in the United States, CBC in Canada, SBS in Australia, SuperSport in Africa, Al Jazeera Sport in the Middle East, and on BBC Three in the United Kingdom. You can also find the match at the link on the bottom of this post.

Nigeria v South Korea Preview

Nigeria have yet to win a match while South Korea can clinch a spot in the knockout stage with a victory on Tuesday. There’s a slight chance for Nigeria to advance with a win but they would have to show improved form from their first two matches.

South Korea opened the tournament with a solid 2-0 win over Greece but were outclassed by Argentina in their second match. They are the favorites in this match and facing a struggling Nigeria side. Park Ji-Sung remains a key player for the Koreans as he provides dynamic playmaking and the ability to threaten the defense at any point.

Nigeria are a talented side but need to play a complete match and avoid an early mental mistake. Unfortunately, the African teams haven’t done well in this World Cup and it shouldn’t change in this match. South Korea are the more organized side who will get a narrow win.

Betting Odds

Nigeria win – 9/5

Draw – 9/4

South Korea win – 6/4

Nigeria v South Korea Prediction

South Korea will win the match 1-0.

Watch Nigeria v South Korea Live Online

The match can be seen at Free Live Sports TV.

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Argentina 4-1 South Korea – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – World Cup – 17 June 2010

Jonathon Feyerherm — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:30:48 +0000

Argentina faced South Korea in a match of the two teams who won their opening matches in Group B. A win for both sides but likely qualify them for the knockout stage. South Korea were impressive in a 2-0 win over Greece but would be the underdogs against Argentina, who created several chances but only beat Nigeria 1-0 in their opening match.

Argentina 4-1 South Korea Video Highlights

The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights.

Argentina 4-1 South Korea Recap

Argentina would get a comfortable with with a hat trick from Gonzalo Higuain on Thursday afternoon against South Korea.

The match was still in doubt until late in the second half with Argentina extended their lead with two Higuain goals. The match started with a bad break for South Korea as a cross into the box deflected off Park Chu-Young for an own goal in the 16th minute. Argentina would then make it 2-0 with a Gonzalo Higuain header in the 33rd minute. The 2-0 lead wouldn’t last though as South Korea capitalized on some poor defense and Lee Chung-Yong scored in the 45th minute.

It was a close match early in the second half and Argentina couldn’t find another goal to break open the match. South Korea would get some chances but failed to convert any of them. Eventually, Argentina would find some space and two goals from Gonzalo Higuain to make it 4-1 (76th minute and 80th minute).

Defensively, Argentina showed some vulnerabilities but overall they showed their class with the two goals in the final 15 minutes.

Argentina 4-1 South Korea Match Stats

17(8)	Shots (on Goal)	15(1)
18	Fouls	19
6	Corner Kicks	2
4	Offsides	0
64%	Time of Possession	36%
3	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0
0	Saves	5

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Argentina v South Korea Preview, Prediction, and TV Listings

Jonathon Feyerherm — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:44:05 +0000

The two teams who won their opening matches in Group B meet as Argentina faces South Korea. The match will take place at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday, June 17, 2010. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 BST, 13:30 local time in South Africa, and 07:30 EST.

It will be televised on ESPN in the United States, CBC in Canada, SBS in Australia, ITV 1 in the United Kingdom, Al Jazeera Sport in the Middle East, ZDF in Germany, and on SuperSport in Africa. You can also find the match at the link on the bottom of this post.

Argentina v South Korea Preview

It’s an important match as a win for both sides would likely guarantee a spot in the knockout stage. South Korea won their opening match with a 2-0 result over Greece while Argentina narrowly edged Nigeria 1-0. Argentina are the favorites to win the match but South Korea are a disciplined and very well organized side.

Argentina was far from impressive against Nigeria and will be looking to show they are contenders to lift the trophy. Messi, Tevez, and Higuain should all start up top and provide one of the most attacking sides in the World Cup. South Korea will counter with a strong overall team mentality and the dynamic play-making ability of Ji-Sung Park.

It won’t be an easy win for Argentina but their quality will show through with a victory. South Korea will keep it close and are likely to get second place in the group.

Betting Odds

Argentina win – 4/9

Draw – 10/3

South Korea win – 13/2

Argentina v South Korea Prediction

Argentina will win the match 2-1.

Watch Argentina v South Korea Live Online

The match can be seen at Free Live Sports TV.

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South Korea 2-0 Greece – Video Highlights and Recap – World Cup – 12 June 2010

Jonathon Feyerherm — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 13:36:32 +0000

Two teams who will be fighting for a spot in the knockout stage met on Saturday, June 12, 2010 as South Korea faced Greece. Argentina is highly favored to win the group so the two teams would need a win as a loss would probably end their hopes of getting to the next round.

South Korea 2-0 Greece Video Highlights

The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights.

South Korea 2-0 Greece Recap

South Korea would play a solid match with goals early in the first and second half to get a 2-0 victory.

The win puts them in great shape to move into the next round as they likely need to win just one out of their next two matches or even get two draws.

The goals were Korea came from Lee Jung-Soo in the 7th minute and Park Ji-Sung in the 52nd minute. Greece now is in a very tough spot to make it out of the group stage.

Match Stats

South Korea Greece

17(4)	Shots (on Goal)	6(2)
14	Fouls	11
6	Corner Kicks	11
1	Offsides	5
49%	Time of Possession	51%
0	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
2	Saves	2