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S. Korea beats New Zealand 2-1 in Olympic warm-up

South Korean forward Park Chu-young (in red jersey)scores the first goal of the match during a warm-up match against New Zealand in Seoul. (Yonhap News)
South Korean forward Park Chu-young (in red jersey)scores the first goal of the match during a warm-up match against New Zealand in Seoul. (Yonhap News)


South Korea's Olympic football team beat its New Zealand side 2-1 in its final warm-up match on Saturday ahead of the London Olympics.

Arsenal forward Park Chu-young scored South Korea's first goal in the 18th minute at Seoul World Cup Stadium, but New Zealand's Shane Smeltz made it 1-1 in the 63rd minute.

Ten minutes after the equalizer, South Korean winger Nam Tae-hee came up with the winning goal after beating past two defenders.

The South Korean team, which sets its sights on the first Olympic medal, will leave for London on Sunday.

South Korea is paired with Mexico, Switzerland and Gabon in Group B. This will be the country's seventh straight Olympic appearance and ninth overall. But South Korea has never won an Olympic medal in men's football, having advanced beyond the first round only twice.

South Korea was a surprise semifinalist at the 2002 World Cup, defeating football giants Portugal, Italy and Spain en route to a fourth-place finish. (Yonhap News)



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