hankyoreh

Son Heung-min of the Korean national team slips his foot back into his cleat after being tackled by Martin Caceres of Uruguay during the Group H opening match at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Eleven people fought as one. Tempered by four years of trust, a consistent football philosophy seeking the middle ground between persistence and perseverance paid dividends in the form of one precious point.

The South Korean national football team, led by coach Paulo Bento, reached a 0-0 draw against Uruguay in the first round of Group H play in the 2022 World Cup. The match was held on Nov. 24 in Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.

While the Korean squad didn’t score any goals, its hustle on the field was impressive, given its underdog reputation. According to Opta Sports, a sports analytics company, Uruguay had a 56.2% chance of winning the match, while Korea had just a 18.9% chance.

After weathering various challenges, the Korean side put its best face forward last night. Son Heung-min made it onto the starting lineup in a miraculous recovery just 20 days after surgery for a fracture around his left eye.

This was the first World Cup game for six members of the Korean side, including Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk) and Kim Min-jae (Napoli), who were kept out of the previous World Cup by injuries. Na Sang-ho (Seoul) was chosen to replace Hwang Hee-chan, who is currently struggling with an injury.

Bento had the team play to its strengths. Offensive plays were put together in the backfield, and defenders kept up the pressure on Uruguay across the field — in the front, on the sides, and in the center.

During the first half of the Thursday match, Korea had a similar possession rate as Uruguay (45-42), while holding a slight edge in the number of passes (239-224). The defense-pass dynamic between Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd) and Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos) was particularly striking.

When space opened up behind defenders, Korean players didn’t hesitate to make long forward passes. After slipping past two Uruguayan defenders, Son Heung-min made a mid-range attempt with a curling kick from his right foot, while Kim Jin-su and Na Sang-ho took the offensive into the Uruguayan backfield.

Son Heung-min of Korean national time takes a shot during the opening match for Group H at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Nov. 24. (Kim Hye-yun/The Hankyoreh)

There was a missed opportunity around 33 minutes into the first half when Kim Moon-hwan (Jeonbuk) made a smooth cut-back from the right, but Hwang Ui-jo (Olympiacos) lobbed the ball just over the goal.

The two sides remained evenly balanced for much of the second half before making their respective breakout bids.

Uruguay replaced Luis Suárez with Edinson Cavani as striker, while Korea brought in Lee Kang-in (Mallorca), Cho Gue-sung (Jeonbuk) and Son Jun-ho (Shandong Taishan). These new additions to the field electrified the attack on both sides.

Federico Valverde and other Uruguayans seriously threatened the Korean goal several times toward the end, but couldn’t crack it open.

Thus, the Taegeuk Warriors took their first bold step toward Korea’s long-awaited second appearance in the Round of 16 in a non-Korean World Cup. (Korea placed fourth in the 2002 World Cup, which was co-hosted by Korea and Japan.)

The moment the final whistle blew, the Korean players flopped down onto the grass, exhausted after their all-out effort. The chant “Daehanminguk" (the Korean word for ‘Republic of Korea’) resounded through the stadium, with its 41,663 spectators.

The Korean team will continue its bid for the Round of 16 in its second group match, against Ghana, on Monday.

By Park Kang-su, staff reporter

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