Lee’s Free Kick Stuns Greece

The Korean national football squad, headed by Pim Verbeek, won its first match of 2007 yesterday. The victory is meaningful in that it was accomplished despite many hurdles. The training session was shorter than usual, the game was played on an overseas field, and the players’ condition was unpredictable as the domestic league is on break.

With the win, Verbeek, whose leadership has been consistently questioned, may get some relief. The overall record of Team Korea ever since he assumed command is now three wins, two draws and two losses. The previous two wins were pulled off against Taiwan, whose presence in international football has been marginal.

Ranked 51st by FIFA, Korea defeated Greece (16th in FIFA ranking), Europe’s champion, 1-0 in a friendly match held on February 7 at Craven Cottage in London. Korea leads the all-time match record between the two countries with one win and one draw.

In the first half, Korea had a hard time against the Greek high-pressure defense, fighting it by keeping the game tempo fast. In the second half, Korea tested some changes by frequently switching player positions. Korea’s winner was scored by Lee Chun-soo (Ulsan Hyundai) in the 78th minute. He curled in a free-kick acquired by Park Ji-sung (Manchester United) to the left corner.

Instead of sticking to its usual style, which heavily depends on counterattacks after firm defense, Greece pushed hard starting from the early phase of the game, taking advantage of their superior physical condition for high balls on offense and tough pressure on defense. On the other hand, Team Korea, backed up by its 9,000 supporters, stood tall against Greece with swift movements.

Shin Moon-sun, a football commentator, said, “The speed and agility of our players was the key.”

Park Mun-seong, an SBS sportscaster who broadcast the game, said, “Greece was a strong team. Our players produced good results despite the pressure they might have been put under in an away game. The goalie Kim Yong-dae (Seongnam Ilhwa) also made brilliant saves. In the second half, there were strategic changes worth noticing. For example, Seol Ki-hyeon (Reading FC) shifted from wing to center.”

Playing a 4-3-3 formation, Pim Verbeek tested Cho Jae-jin (Shimizu) and then Seol as the team’s center forward. Other combinations were experimented with as well, such as Park Ji-sung and Lee Chun-soo who switched positions between the team’s attacking midfielder and side attacker.

However, the game revealed the weak points of Team Korea. Passes between the midfielders and attackers have to get smoother, and the teamwork of the defensive line needs more cohesiveness as it allowed Greece some dangerous chances. Although the fullbacks usually have some role in offense, they hardly played that way as they were concentrating on defense.

Verbeek said, “"It was a tough match. It makes me feel good to win a game like this. Our goal is to win the Asian Cup [tournament in July].”

Returning Korea on February 8, the Korean national team will have another friendly match on the 24th next month in Korea with one of the South American countries.

bluesky@donga.com