Lee Geun-ho Expected to Shake Things Up

“Geun-ho to the rescue!”

When things get tough, a “problem-solver” is necessary. South Korea’s Olympic team in Group B for the 2008 Beijing Olympic qualifiers wrapped up an away game against Bahrain on September 9 (1-0 victory), and returned late afternoon on Monday. The young Olympic team will play against Syria at the Seoul World Cup Stadium tonight at 8:00 p.m. Although they have two straight wins, the Syria game is looking difficult especially with the short time frame between the games. The home-game advantage might not be much of one.

However, South Korea needs this third victory against Syria to push them over the 70 percent probability of winning a spot for the Olympics, and it looks like coach Park Seong-hwa will be using Lee Geun-ho (Daegu FC) as his “problem-solver” in order to win.

Lee sat out of the Bahrain game due to a one-game suspension. He is a vital player with quick feet and unexpected charges which keep the opposing team flustered. After moving from Incheon United to Daegu this season, the 22-year-old has chalked up nine goals, including his first after turning pro, over the course of 23 games. Lee has a great record in the last couple qualifying games; he scored two goals against the United Arab Emirates (3-1 win) and one out of the two goals in the Uzbekistan game (2-1 win).

Coach Park is placing Lee on the left wing, in hopes of agitating Syria’s defense with his speed and bold plays, as well as providing ample opportunities for attack by the forefront offense and midfielders. Not to mention, if Lee has the chance to score a goal himself, he’ll be trusted to take it. Though he did not participate in the Bahrain game, Lee firmly stated, “[I’ll] do my best to gain a third win so that we can secure a spot in the Olympics.”

Kim Seung-yong (Gwangju Sangmu) has been put on the right flank by coach Park. The double-team effort of Lee and Kim will be used to orchestrate the attack against Syria. Ha Tae-gyun (Suwon Samsung) and Shin Yeong-rok (Suwon Samsung) will be working the 4-2-3-1 formation in front while multi-player Lee Sang-ho (Ulsan Hyundai) takes on the role of shadow-striker.

Syria does not pose an eminent threat to South Korea’s Olympic footballers as it is considered the weakest team in Group B. In the group qualifiers, Syria lost to Bahrain 1-2 and played to a scoreless draw against Uzbekistan. This will be Syria’s first match against the Korean Olympic team.

yjongk@donga.com