Korea beats Kuwait to advance to final round of 2014 WC qualifying

South Korea advanced to the final round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup with a 2-0 win over visiting Kuwait at Seoul World Cup stadium on Wednesday.

Striker Lee Dong-gook scored the opener in the second half before Lee Keun-ho doubled the lead to ensure manager Choi Kang-hee’s second victory since his appointment.

Choi, who took the helm of the Taegeuk Warriors in December, praised his players after the game, noting: “It was a difficult game, but the players worked hard out there.”

But Choi admitted that his side needs to work harder before the final qualification this summer.

“We had nearly 10 days of training, but we failed to show what we’d prepared for today,” he said.

On Wednesday, the Koreans went into the match with fate in their own hands, as they were on top of Group B with Lebanon at 10 points each, while Kuwait was third with eight points.

The defeat to Kuwait could have ended Korea’s 2014 World Cup dream.

With the temperature dipping below zero Celsius, Korea started nervously as the Kuwait side outplayed the home side in the first half thanks to their slick passing style.

The visitors were keeping the ball well and passing it with ease, pegging the Koreans to their own half.

Kuwait came close to taking the lead just eight minutes into the game, but goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong tipped Walied Jumah’s effort on to the crossbar.

Korea had its first chance in the 27th minute. A pinpoint cross was met by midfielder Han Sang-wun inside the box, but his side-footed effort went narrowly past the post.

Three minutes later Jung managed to palm away a close-range shot before making another fine save in the 40th minute.

After the break, the visitors looked sharper in their attack, hitting the crossbar barely a minute into the second half. But it was the home side who took the lead.

In the 65th minute, Lee Dong-gook, the 2011 K-League top scorer, found a loose ball inside the penalty box before firing his shot into the top left corner to give the team a 1-0 lead.

Lee raised his arms in celebration, enjoying the well-earned moment.

After the goal, the Koreans looked to have gotten their attacking prowess back. Substitute Ki Sung-yueng of Celtic created several chances before Lee Keun-ho doubled the lead in the 71st minute to ensure a berth in the final round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup.

In the final qualifying round, there are two groups of five teams. Asia has 4.5 tickets to Brazil. The teams will play each other in a home-and-away league format starting from June this year.

The winners and runners-up of each group will automatically qualify for the 2014 World Cup. The two third-placed teams will clash in a playoff and the winner will advance to the continental playoff.

“It won’t be easy for us. But we still have three months to prepare, and I believe we have many talented players,” Choi said.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)