Off with a bang

3-1 win over Thailand bodes well for 2012 London


South Korea’s U23 team manager Hong Myung-bo expressed confidence about the team’s 2012 London Olympics qualification after a 3-1 victory over Thailand in the King’s Cup tournament Sunday.

With a decisive match against Saudi Arabia in the Olympics qualifiers next month, Hong included several first choice players in the lineup against Thailand, including Gwangju FC striker Kim Dong-sub.

Thailand started confidently, narrowly missing early chances, while Korea took some time to get used to the conditions at the Rajamangala stadium in Bangkok.

But the young Taegeuk Warriors soon dominated possession and took the lead after 42 minutes as lone striker Kim blasted a low drive into the bottom corner from just outside the area.

Thailand fought back and leveled the score in the 53rd minute with substitute Supanya Purisai’s equalizer.

However, the host’s joy was short lived as Jeonbuk Motors midfielder Seo Jung-jin scored the second goal for Korea in the 69th minute. Following that, substitute striker Kim Hyung-sung stole the ball and killed off the game with a curling shot just inside the box to make it 3-1. 

The King’s Cup, which will be held until Jan. 22 in Bangkok, has Korea taking on Denmark, Norway and host Thailand in the tournament. In other matches, defending champion Denmark was held to a 1-1 draw against Norway on Sunday.

Before heading to Bangkok, Hong insisted that the tournament would be used as a warm-up for his side, before facing Saudi Arabia and Oman in the 2012 London Olympics qualifiers in February.

After winning the opening match on Sunday, Hong admitted his team was still not 100 percent fit for the Olympic qualifiers.

“The players are at 80 percent of their level, but we have plenty of time before the qualifiers,” Hong said.

The Korea U23 team will meet Denmark on Wednesday before facing Norway on Saturday. After the King’s Cup campaign, the U23 team is heading to Qatar for a week of preparation before facing Saudi Arabia on Feb. 5 and Oman on Feb. 22.

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