South Korea is the first team to beat sent home from the knockout stage but they acquitted themselves very well. In fact, they probably deserved a better result against Uruguay but they had to pay for a defensive breakdown in the first half and bad luck (hitting the post).
Coming in second in Group B behind Argentina, South Korea was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2010 World Cup. They played a pleasing style to the eye and they didn't sit back after they scored a goal. They were also one of the best passing teams I've seen so far and like Japan, they're top notch on set pieces.
South Korea
Best moment: Tying it up against Uruguay today in the 68th minute. Up until that point in the second half, they had dominated and they completely earned that header.
Worst moment: Giving up Luis Suarez's ridiculous snipe in the 80th minute vs. Uruguay. The game looked destined for extra time but it wasn't to be.
Best result: 2-0 win over Greece in their opening Group B match. A great way to start off and it turned out to be vital since Greece ended up winning a game as well.
Worst result: Losing 4-1 to Argentina hurt but clearly getting bounced in the round-of-16 will stick with them for longer. This was a game they easily could have won and those are the ones that stick with you.
Final tally: 1 win, 1 tie, 2 losses. 6 goals scored, 8 goals allowed.
Best player: The entire South Korean set of midfielders and forwards. Six goals against those opponents is quite impressive.
Worst player: On the other hand, goalkeeper Jung Song-Ryong has to be on this list for giving up eight goals. South Korea's defenders often went forward and I can't remember a soft goal given up by Song-Ryong but eight is an ugly number in just four matches.
No comments:
Post a Comment