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Korea to host Brazil in highly anticipated football friendly
By Korea HeraldPublished : Oct. 11, 2013 - 18:41
In one of the most highly anticipated football matches here this year, South Korea will host Brazil in the nation’s capital on Saturday.
The match will take place at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m.
According to the Korea Football Association, it is expected to draw a near-sellout crowd at the 66,000-seat venue and set a new attendance record for a football friendly there.
The record for the largest turnout at Seoul World Cup Stadium is 62,884, when South Korea took on the Netherlands in June 2007.
This is the fifth meeting between the two countries. Brazil won three of the four earlier matches.
On paper, the matchup doesn’t appear to be close. Brazil, the five-time FIFA World Cup champion, is currently eighth in the FIFA rankings, while South Korea is at 58th. Brazil defeated the world No. 1 Spain to claim the Confederations Cup in June and looks to be rounding into form as it prepares to host the World Cup finals next summer.
South Korea, on the other hand, has managed just one win in the first six games with Hong Myung-bo, a former national team captain, as the head coach.
Head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who guided Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title and returned to coach his native country last year, has brought most of the country’s top names, such as Neymar of FC Barcelona and Oscar of Chelsea. The core members of the team are only just entering their athletic prime in their early to mid-20s.
South Korea will counter with a handful of players based in European leagues. Winger Son Heung-min of Bayer Leverkusen is one of four players from the Bundesliga, and midfielder Ki Sung-yueng of Sunderland is among three English Premier Leaguers.
Ji Dong-won, another Sunderland player, is the only natural striker for this match. On Hong‘s watch, South Korea has scored six goals in six matches, but no striker has found the back of the net.
Ji will likely need help from his wingers, including Lee Keun-ho, currently playing for the domestic military team, Sangju Sangmu.
Lee has the most experience on the roster with 54 international games under his belt, and has scored 18 times, more than anyone in the current lineup. Lee is also the only player to score at least twice for Hong. (Yonhap News)
The match will take place at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m.
According to the Korea Football Association, it is expected to draw a near-sellout crowd at the 66,000-seat venue and set a new attendance record for a football friendly there.
The record for the largest turnout at Seoul World Cup Stadium is 62,884, when South Korea took on the Netherlands in June 2007.
This is the fifth meeting between the two countries. Brazil won three of the four earlier matches.
On paper, the matchup doesn’t appear to be close. Brazil, the five-time FIFA World Cup champion, is currently eighth in the FIFA rankings, while South Korea is at 58th. Brazil defeated the world No. 1 Spain to claim the Confederations Cup in June and looks to be rounding into form as it prepares to host the World Cup finals next summer.
South Korea, on the other hand, has managed just one win in the first six games with Hong Myung-bo, a former national team captain, as the head coach.
Head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who guided Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title and returned to coach his native country last year, has brought most of the country’s top names, such as Neymar of FC Barcelona and Oscar of Chelsea. The core members of the team are only just entering their athletic prime in their early to mid-20s.
South Korea will counter with a handful of players based in European leagues. Winger Son Heung-min of Bayer Leverkusen is one of four players from the Bundesliga, and midfielder Ki Sung-yueng of Sunderland is among three English Premier Leaguers.
Ji Dong-won, another Sunderland player, is the only natural striker for this match. On Hong‘s watch, South Korea has scored six goals in six matches, but no striker has found the back of the net.
Ji will likely need help from his wingers, including Lee Keun-ho, currently playing for the domestic military team, Sangju Sangmu.
Lee has the most experience on the roster with 54 international games under his belt, and has scored 18 times, more than anyone in the current lineup. Lee is also the only player to score at least twice for Hong. (Yonhap News)
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Articles by Korea Herald
