HWASEONG, South Korea– Held on the eve of South Korea’s announcement of their World Cup roster, the Taegeuk Warriors’ friendly match against Iceland Friday night was the final test for a few players trying to crack the team.
This was a match in which the final score wouldn’t matter nearly as much as what individual players did to prove their worth for the big tournament coming up in Qatar. Some stood out, but not everyone passed this test with flying colors in South Korea’s 1-0 victory.
Midfielder Song Min-kyu, the lone goal scorer at Hwaseong Sports Complex Main Stadium in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, was among those with a noteworthy performance. It wasn’t the goal that he scored, though the 23-year-old picked the perfect time to score his first international goal. From the left wing, Song was a consistent threat against Iceland, either by taking his own shots or creating chances for his teammates.
“I should’ve had my first goal even earlier, but I guess it’s better late than never,” Song said. “I hope I can maintain this form and head to Qatar.”
Starting forward Cho Gue-sung assisted on Song’s goal and, with his goal scoring prowess already well known, Cho also flashed some playmaking skills in this victory.
It was midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon’s through ball to Cho that led to Song’s goal, and Kwon looked sharp in his 45 minutes of action.
This trio entered Friday’s match with varying degrees of chances of making the team. Cho and Kwon had received plenty of opportunities in recent matches and it would be a surprise if their names aren’t called Saturday. Song, on the other hand, hadn’t played much with South Korea at full strength and all Europe-based players in the mix. He was called up for this occasion because veterans from Europe were not available, with this match not being part of the FIFA international calendar.
It likely would take more than a goal against an inferior opponent to compel Bento to suddenly bring Song into the equation. However, Song could be a nice insurance piece in Qatar, especially with some of the mainstays, such as Hwang Ui-jo of Olympiacos, struggling to find their rhythm ahead of the World Cup.
The 21-year-old forward Oh Hyeon-gyu replaced Cho in the 72nd minute for his international debut, and wasted a golden opportunity in the 81st when he lost his balance and fell trying to take a cross from Na Sang-ho. That Oh played at all, though, seemed to indicate Bento may just make Oh, who had 13 goals to lead Suwon Samsung Bluewings, a surprise pick.
Bento experimented with a back-three formation for the first time in a little over three years. Three natural center backs, Kwon Kyung-won, Kim Young-gwon and Park Ji-su, got the start as the three defenders, while full backs Hong Chul and Yoon Jong-gyu played with a long leash as far as their offensive involvement was concerned.
With Napoli’s stalwart defender Kim Min-jae firmly established as one center back in Bento’s usual back-four setup, the coach has been trying to find Kim’s partner on the left.
But this was not an ideal setting to identify the strongest candidate for that job, because Iceland barely tested South Korea on offense.
To make matters worse, Park rolled his left ankle in the 37th minute when he stepped on the foot of a defender ahead of an aerial duel. Park, unable to put any weight on the foot, was carried off the field and into the lockers, though he later watched the rest of the match from the bench.
Another center back, Cho Yu-min, came in for Park, and he just may be the beneficiary of Park’s injury if the latter can’t go to Qatar. Whereas Park is a physical, hard-nosed defender, Cho is a more offensive-minded center back who can add a new dimension to the team.
Bento used the back-three formation likely to guard against the possible absence of the team’s best and likely only viable left fullback, Kim Jin-su.
Kim is dealing with a right hamstring injury and did not play Friday. But he told reporters after the match he should be good to go in the World Cup if he’s selected.
Kim missed out on the past two World Cups because of injuries he suffered just weeks before the tournaments.
“I am getting better and better. I never thought my injury was all that serious to begin with,” Kim said. “My injury now isn’t as serious as the ones I had before the last two World Cups. I am optimistic that I should be ready for the first match.”
Another position of concern for South Korea has been the right fullback. Bento ended up using every right fullback on Friday, with Yoon Jong-gyu and Park Ji-su getting the start and Kim Tae-hwan and Kim Moon-hwan coming off the bench.
Though Yoon has had mixed reviews in recent matches, with his defensive commitment not on par with his flashy offensive skills. But Bento said he liked what he saw from the 24-year-old defender.
“Jong-gyu has played well with us. He’s a player with good technical skills,” Bento said. “He’s fast. He’s a guy that should improve certain tactical aspects but we’ll see what happens. It’s true that in the last games he played, he made things well.”
In goal, Kim Seung-gyu played the entire match and appears to be the No. 1 man heading to Qatar ahead of Jo Hyeon-woo, who was the top goalkeeper at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
All told, Bento used his maximum six substitutions and 17 players saw action on Friday.
Source: Yonhap News Agency