DOHA– Having been a part of a miraculous FIFA World Cup victory for South Korea four years ago, veteran midfielder Lee Jae-sung believes this year’s squad is capable of pulling off similar magic.
Lee started South Korea’s 2-0 victory over Germany in the teams’ final group match at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Though it wasn’t enough to send South Korea into the round of 16, the stunning win over the defending champions has been celebrated as “Miracle in Kazan” in South Korean sports annals, after the city in which the match took place.
Lee and his South Korean team in Qatar will also need an upset win this time, as they prepare for their final Group H match against world No. 9 Portugal on Friday. In order to reach the knockouts, South Korea must beat Portugal and get help from the other Group H match of the same evening, between Uruguay and Ghana.
Speaking before a training session Wednesday, Lee said he has good feelings about this year’s team.
“We are in a similar situation as four years ago, but the vibes are so much better now,” Lee said at Al Egla Training Site in Doha. “In Russia, we lost the first two matches and we didn’t have enough conviction that we could beat Germany. But here, we’ve had two good matches, and we believe we can beat Portugal.”
South Korea, ranked 28th, held world No. 14 Uruguay to a goalless draw last Thursday, but then lost to world No. 61 Ghana 3-2. South Korea rallied after going down 2-0 in the first half before a defensive breakdown led to Ghana’s winner.
Lee insisted the crushing loss hasn’t affected the team’s collective confidence.
“After these two matches, we have a strong belief in ourselves that we can get the job done,” Lee said. “We have to win this match so that our supporters back home will be able to enjoy this tournament longer. And I don’t know if I’ll be able to play in the next World Cup four years later. I want to enjoy this festival of football more, too.”
Lee’s tough talk won’t change the fact that Portugal will be the favorites. They boast one of football’s all-time greats in Cristiano Ronaldo and his former Manchester United teammate, Bruno Fernandes. Even though Portugal have already locked down their knockout spot with two straight wins, their head coach Fernando Santos said the team will now go for the top seed in Group H and avoid a possible date with world No. 1 Brazil in the round of 16.
“We may lose individual battles against them,” Lee said. “But if we battle as a team, everyone here knows we can be competitive.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency