Bento talks about his vision for S. Korea-Japan football match

“I understand that South Korea and Japan have such a fierce rivalry,” said Paulo Bento, head coach of the South Korean men’s national football team before going into his first South Korea-Japan match as the head coach of the South Korean national football team.

South Korea will play against Japan in their third game (Dec. 18) at the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, which will be held from December 10-18. Claiming the championship title for four times, South Korean men’s football team holds the record for most titles. Each teamㅡSouth Korea, China, Japan, and Hong Kongㅡwill play against one another for once on a league basis.

Bento said he wants to use the absence of South Korean footballers playing in Europe, including Son Heung-min of the Tottenham Hotspur, as a chance to test out different players. “You’ll see some fresh faces on our roster,” he said. “We’ll get the result we want.”


Yun-Cheol Jeong trigger@donga.com