South Korea Crumbles Upon Just a Single Attack

South Korea got off to a creaky start at the FIFA U-17 tournament yesterday, while the North Korean team pulled out a successful first match.

Peru knocked out hosting South Korea in the first match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup held yesterday in Suwon, South Korea. To advance to the round of 16, Team South Korea should have won the game since Peru is the weakest link in Group A, which includes Costa Rica and Togo.

Peru scored on the only set piece it had. In the 29th minute, Reimond Manco shot a free kick from the left side of the midfield into the box, which Korean goalkeeper Kim failed to punch out. Carlos Bazalar didn’t miss the chance. He daggered the missing ball toward the net on a header. The ball bounced off the left goalpost. But Bazalar headed the rebound into the net.

Bae Chun-suk and Kim Jung-hyun led the attack for South Korea, supported by midfielders, Bak Jae-cheol, Yun Bitgaram, Han Kook-young and Cho Jin-soo. 27,000 Korean fans cheered for their team in the sizzling hot weather to their disappointment. Other Group A teams, Togo and Costa Rica, pulled off a 1-1 draw, pushing the host country to the bottom in the group.

On the other hand, North Korea tied England in their match in Jeju. England scored first in the 62nd minute. But with only one minute left to the end, North Korean player Lim Chul Min drew the game, giving one point to his country. Previously, North Korea advanced to the quarterfinals in Peru in 2005. Facing a tough opponent, Team North Korea performed as best as it could.

In other action, Group B team Brazil cruised to a 7-0 victory over New Zealand. Brazil holds the U-17 World Cup title record of three. Brazilian player Fabinho recorded the quickest goal in the FIFA history in the match. His goal was officially timed at 9 seconds. The previous record was made in the 14th second in a past U-17 tournament, and the FIFA World Cup has an 11-second record.