Stielike pleased with winning start

CANBERRA (Yonhap) ― The South Korean men’s football coach Uli Stielike voiced satisfaction Saturday with his team’s 1-0 victory over Oman to open the AFC Asian Cup, saying he preferred a narrow win to a larger victory that would only have raised expectations on his team.

Cho Young-cheol scored the lone goal of the match late in the first half, as South Korea began a campaign for its first Asian Cup title in 55 years.

Stielike acknowledged that his team could have played better but he was satisfied overall.

“I don’t think we played that bad of a match,” the German said.

“Except for the final five minutes, we had a solid second half. In the first 15 or 20 minutes into the second half, we created many scoring opportunities, and it was disappointing that we couldn’t capitalize on them.” 

Stielike said he would like to take the long view on his team’s performance.

“It’s better to battle for a 1-0 victory than to cruise into a 5-0 win. It won’t help our team when all the eyes are on us as a championship contender,” he said.

“We will try to learn from our mistakes and address our problems along the way.”

Stielike noted that problems emerged on both ends.

“Our defensive problems couldn’t be blamed solely on defenders,” he said. “Our offensive players lost control of the ball when they received passes. It will only exacerbate issues on defense, and make life difficult for defenders. The offensive players must know how to control the ball and maintain possession.”

Stielike made a surprise choice by inserting midfielder Koo Ja-cheol into the starting lineup. Criticized for mediocre play of late, Koo, former South Korean captain, responded to Stielike’s faith with an energetic performance, and was named the Player of the Match.

“I trust in Koo’s talent and abilities,” Stielike said. “He has done well in training and I believed he’d have a good match. His selection as the Player of the Match validates my decision.”

Korea seeks win over Kuwait

Fresh off its first victory at this year’s AFC Asian Cup, Korea will try to make it two in a row against Kuwait on Tuesday.

South Korea is ranked 69th, while Kuwait is well below at 125th, second-lowest among the Asian Cup participants.

In the tournament opener versus Australia on Friday, Kuwait scored the first goal but allowed four unanswered goals to lose 4-1.

A win over Kuwait would put South Korea on a course to first place in Group A, with the final group match against Australia set for next Saturday in Brisbane. Australia is favored to beat Oman on Tuesday, and the top seed of the group will likely be determined in the South Korea-Australia showdown next weekend.

Kuwait is considered the weakest link in Group A. At the Gulf Cup of Nations tournament last November, Kuwait lost to Oman 5-0.

Against Australia at the Asian Cup, Kuwait’s defense fell apart in the face of the Aussie onslaught.

Korea managed only one goal against Oman but should have little trouble topping that total against Kuwait.

Goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyeon wasn’t tested much until the final moments of the match and stood his ground to preserve the clean sheet victory. He appears to have emerged as the winner of the competition with two other goalkeepers, World Cup veterans Jung Sung-ryong and Kim Seung-gyu.

Two South Korean players suffered leg injuries during Saturday’s match. Right fullback Kim Chang-soo was taken out of the match barely 20 minutes in with a right thigh contusion and is doubtful for Tuesday.

The team also had a scare in the second half when midfielder Lee Chung-yong came down with a right calf injury. In 2011, Lee suffered a gruesome double fracture on that same leg and was kept out of action for nearly a year.

Though Lee left the field on a stretcher on Saturday, team officials said the player appears to have suffered only a bruise.

“There’s no swelling in the area and we don’t think there’s any structural damage,” said an official with the Korea Football Association. “I don’t think it’s so serious that he has to visit a hospital. He will probably sit out recovery training today but should be able to join practice tomorrow.”

The team said Cho Young-cheol, the forward who scored the winner against Oman, came down with leg cramps late in that match but should be fine for the next contest.