Veteran Portugal defender wary of fast, organized S. Korea

AL RAYYAN, Qatar– Even with a knockout ticket already secured, Portugal will do their best to beat South Korea to close out the group stage of the FIFA World Cup on a high note, veteran defender Pepe said Thursday.

Pepe and his Portugal team will face South Korea at 6 p.m. Friday at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, west of Doha, or midnight Saturday in South Korea. Portugal are already through to the last 16 thanks to two consecutive victories. South Korea, though, had a draw and a loss to begin their competition, and must beat Portugal while also getting help from other teams in the group to have a chance at advancing.
At the prematch presser on the eve of the match, Pepe said he was impressed with the way South Korea battled in the two earlier matches.

“They are very well organized and they know how to approach matches very well,” Pepe said.

Asked about two of South Korea’s top players, captain Son Heung-min and center back Kim Min-jae, Pepe responded, “They play at a high speed, they have great qualities and they play hard. But rather than discussing specific players, I’d like to rate the entire team very highly.”

Pepe once played for the current South Korea head coach Paulo Bento when Bento was leading the Portuguese national team, and recalled his former bench boss as someone who stressed the importance of team spirit and quick counterattacks.

By winning Group H, Portugal will likely avoid world No. 1 Brazil in the round of 16. Pepe said his focus was only on trying to win Friday’s match and accomplishing the team’s collective objective of winning the World Cup.

“We still have long ways to go and a difficult journey awaits us,” he said. “We’ll stick together as a team until the end of the tournament.”

Pepe, 39, is the second oldest outfield player in World Cup history, but didn’t venture to say Thursday that this will be his final World Cup.

“I’ve come here to enjoy playing in the World Cup,” Pepe said. “I am honored to be able to get up every morning and play the game I love.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency

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