Korea soccer qualifies for 2012 London Olympics

South Korea clinched a berth in men’s soccer at the London Olympics, blanking home side Oman 3-0 in the penultimate regional qualification contest.

At Al Seeb Sports Stadium in the Omanese capital, winger Nam Tae-hee scored seconds into the match, and his teammates added a pair of second-half goals to send Korea to its seventh-straight Olympics.

The victory gave Korea a four-point cushion over Oman at the top of Group A with one game left for both nations. Korea is at top with 11 points on three wins and two draws.

Moments after the kick-off, Nam struck the loose ball from the penalty spot past goalkeeper Mahnad Al Zaabi, after Oman failed to clear Kim Min-woo’s pass attempt.

This was Nam’s first start for the Olympic squad. He has scored four goals in seven games so far this season with Lekhwiya SC, his first in the Qatar Stars League, following a disappointing two-year stint with Valenciennes FC in Ligue 1, the first-division French league.

In the 67th minute, Kim Hyun-sung doubled Korea’s lead.

The 186-centimeter forward slipped behind Oman’s defense to head in Park Jong-woo’s long free kick. (Yonhap News)

Korea seeks sanctions for Oman’s unruly crowd

South Korea’s football governing body said Thursday it will seek sanctions against its Oman counterpart for its failure to keep Omanese fans under control during a recent Olympic qualification match between the two countries.

In Muscat on Wednesday, South Korea beat Oman 3-0 to qualify for the London Olympics. After Korea scored its third goal midway through the second half, angry fans started throwing water bottles and other debris onto the pitch. South Korean midfielder Han Kook-young went down on the ground for a few minutes after a firecracker nearly hit him in the face.

The fans’ action delayed the game for almost 10 minutes.

“This is a clear-cut case, and we expect some sort of penalty,” said an official with the Korea Football Association. “If that doesn’t happen, we will ask the Asian Football Confederation to punish Oman.”

When a match is interrupted by unruly fans, the football association of the home nation is usually penalized by the regional governing body. 

(Yonhap News)