Korea lacks firepower vs. Mexico

NEWCASTLE, England (Yonhap News) ― Before South Korea opened the men’s soccer tournament at the London Olympics Thursday against Mexico, the patchwork defensive line was seen as the team’s Achilles’ heel. The head coach, Hong Myung-bo, acknowledged as much earlier this month.

But following its scoreless draw against Mexico that started Group B action in Newcastle, South Korea appears to have an entirely different sort of problem at hand.

The defense did yeoman’s work against the Latin Americans; but its offense, which had displayed some firepower in tune-up matches leading up to the Olympics, left much to be desired.

Before the Olympics, South Korea lost two key defenders, Hong Jeong-ho and Jang Hyun-soo, to leg injuries. That left coach Hong with relatively inexperienced players with a less physical style of play.

But the defenders that he sent out against Mexico had plenty of help from their teammates.

Crafty wingers Kim Bo-kyung and Nam Tae-hee did their usual offensive work but were also active on defense, relying on their speed to return to their own zone and stifle Mexico’s early breakaway attempts.

Though Mexico had a more spirited second half, it only had its first shot on net about 40 minutes into the match.

Marco Fabian, the explosive striker considered the most dangerous weapon for Mexico, was virtually invisible. Unfortunately for South Korea, so was its own marksman, Park Chu-young.

Park, a forward for Arsenal who entered the match having scored in each of the past two friendlies, couldn’t convert a pair of free kicks from outside the box, and was replaced by Baek Sung-dong in the 75th minute.

Koo Ja-cheol, an Augsburg midfielder in Germany and the South Korean captain, also misfired on close calls, first grazing the crossbar in the 52nd and then heading it wide of the net in the 78th.

After the game, Hong praised the team’s defensive execution, and the remaining two games, against Switzerland on Sunday and Gabon on Wednesday, will represent fresh starts for them.

“We couldn’t convert chances and we should have been more careful with the ball on offense,” Hong said. “The draw is disappointing but we have to take that one point and start anew for the remaining matches. I have faith in our offensive players because they all have good skills.”

Koo blamed the slippery grass for the lack of offensive prowess; it had rained before the game and the players were often seen wiping the ball with their shirts in between stoppages.

“We’ve got two games left and we have to keep our eye on the bigger picture,” Koo said. “The guys made a quick adjustment to the wet surface and it’s unfortunate we couldn’t get on board.”