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S. Korea to host New Zealand in veteran defender's int'l swan song
By KH디지털2Published : March 30, 2015 - 10:35
Veteran South Korean football defender Cha Du-ri will bid adieu to international play on Tuesday, when his team hosts New Zealand in the nation's capital.
The friendly match between the 56th-ranked South Korea and the 134th-ranked New Zealand will kick off at 8 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Cha, 34, will be making his 76th and final international appearance for South Korea. He'd earlier announced his retirement at the conclusion of the AFC Asian Cup in January in Australia but head coach Uli Stielike called him up one last time to give the energetic fullback a chance to get his swan song on home soil.
Stielike has said he plans to start Cha and substitute for him toward the end of the first half, an arrangement that would allow fans to give him an ovation as he leaves the pitch. Then during halftime, the Korea Football Association (KFA) will hold a retirement ceremony for Cha, who has represented South Korea at two FIFA World Cups.
With South Korea favored to beat New Zealand, Cha could leave the national team on a winning note -- his final Asian Cup match was a 2-1 loss to Australia in the championship final.
South Korea, though, must step up its game to give the veteran a proper sendoff. It is coming off an uninspired 1-1 draw against Uzbekistan last Friday. Attacking midfielder Koo Ja-cheol scored his first international goal since last June but the rest of the team was otherwise flat at Daejeon World Cup Stadium.
South Korea takes an undefeated record against New Zealand with five wins and one draw all-time.
This will be South Korea's final game before the Asian qualifying matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup begin in June.
Stielike had already been shorthanded before the match against Uzbekistan and the situation hasn't improved. Forward Ji Dong-won, who sat out Friday with a sprained ankle, will be available Tuesday. Yet the only other forward on the team, Lee Jeong-hyeop, had his forehead bloodied after a collision with an opposing player and had to leave the match after only 32 minutes. He had stitches above his left eye and may watch Tuesday's match from the bench.
Defensive back Jeong Dong-ho, making his international debut Friday, suffered a sprained hip during that match and has since returned to his pro club, Ulsan Hyundai.
Against Uzbekistan, Son Heung-min wasn't close to his dynamic self. In his stead, Lee Jae-sung, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors midfielder playing in his first international contest, filled in ably as the offensive force. With midfield mainstay Ki Sung-yueng starting the night on the bench, Kim Bo-kyung, playing for Stielike for the first time, did yeoman's work on both ends as the central midfielder.
In net on Friday, Stielike started Kim Seung-gyu, a backup during the Asian Cup, and is expected to go back to his No. 1 custodian, Kim Jin-hyeon, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
The friendly match between the 56th-ranked South Korea and the 134th-ranked New Zealand will kick off at 8 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Cha, 34, will be making his 76th and final international appearance for South Korea. He'd earlier announced his retirement at the conclusion of the AFC Asian Cup in January in Australia but head coach Uli Stielike called him up one last time to give the energetic fullback a chance to get his swan song on home soil.
Stielike has said he plans to start Cha and substitute for him toward the end of the first half, an arrangement that would allow fans to give him an ovation as he leaves the pitch. Then during halftime, the Korea Football Association (KFA) will hold a retirement ceremony for Cha, who has represented South Korea at two FIFA World Cups.
With South Korea favored to beat New Zealand, Cha could leave the national team on a winning note -- his final Asian Cup match was a 2-1 loss to Australia in the championship final.
South Korea, though, must step up its game to give the veteran a proper sendoff. It is coming off an uninspired 1-1 draw against Uzbekistan last Friday. Attacking midfielder Koo Ja-cheol scored his first international goal since last June but the rest of the team was otherwise flat at Daejeon World Cup Stadium.
South Korea takes an undefeated record against New Zealand with five wins and one draw all-time.
This will be South Korea's final game before the Asian qualifying matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup begin in June.
Stielike had already been shorthanded before the match against Uzbekistan and the situation hasn't improved. Forward Ji Dong-won, who sat out Friday with a sprained ankle, will be available Tuesday. Yet the only other forward on the team, Lee Jeong-hyeop, had his forehead bloodied after a collision with an opposing player and had to leave the match after only 32 minutes. He had stitches above his left eye and may watch Tuesday's match from the bench.
Defensive back Jeong Dong-ho, making his international debut Friday, suffered a sprained hip during that match and has since returned to his pro club, Ulsan Hyundai.
Against Uzbekistan, Son Heung-min wasn't close to his dynamic self. In his stead, Lee Jae-sung, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors midfielder playing in his first international contest, filled in ably as the offensive force. With midfield mainstay Ki Sung-yueng starting the night on the bench, Kim Bo-kyung, playing for Stielike for the first time, did yeoman's work on both ends as the central midfielder.
In net on Friday, Stielike started Kim Seung-gyu, a backup during the Asian Cup, and is expected to go back to his No. 1 custodian, Kim Jin-hyeon, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
