Tag: soccer

South Korea’s World Cup team is in a tough spot after losing to Ghana:

Korea’s World Cup hopes are hanging by a slender thread after a 3-2 defeat against Ghana in Qatar on Monday. With just one point from the first two games in Group H, Paulo Bento’s men are going to need a convincing win over Portugal on Friday and hope that other results are favorable.

While the game had excitement for the neutral, there was, ultimately, disappointment for the Taeguk Warriors who will be left to regret defensive mistakes and missed chances. Ghana took a two goal lead in the first half, but the Taeguk Warriors came roaring back with two goals in the space of three second half minutes from Cho Gue-sung who became the first Korean to score more than once in a World Cup game. More defensive issues helped the Africans retake the lead and, this time, they held onto it despite plenty of pressure from the Reds.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

North Korean football teams arrive in South Korea on Oct. 25, 2018, to compete in an international youth tournament. The North sent three teams to the 5th Ari Sports Cup, organized by the South-North Inter Korean Sports Association, that this year drew eight teams from six countries. (Yonhap)

The South Korean football team poses for a photo after winning the final of the 18th Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games on Sept. 1, 2018. (Yonhap)

I am sure it was sweet to beat Japan in the Asian Cup Finals, but the fact they don’t have to do their mandatory military service is probably the most satisfying part of this win for the players:

South Korea defeated Japan 2-1 to defend the men’s football title at the Asian Games in Indonesia.

In the final match at Pakansari Stadium in Cibinong on Saturday, the men’s football team finished the 90-minute main game in a scoreless draw.

During extra time, Lee Seung-woo scored the first goal and Hwang Hee-chan added another minutes later.

South Korea successfully defended its Asiad title following their victory at Incheon 2014 and came to hold the most Asiad titles in men’s football with five.

The victory also gave the 20 Taegeuk Warriors, including captain Son Heung-min, exemption from mandatory military service that usually takes about two years.  [KBS World Radio]

A gold medal at the Asian Games will be extra memorable if the South Korean soccer team wins because they can avoid mandatory military service:

South Korea’s soccer team is just 90 minutes away from gold at the 2018 Asian Games and that all-important military exemption thanks to a 3-1 win over Vietnam in the semifinal Wednesday.

On Saturday, Son Heung-min and his colleagues will meet either Japan or the United Arab Emirates in the final in Cibinong, south of Jakarta. If the young Taegeuk Warriors win that then the 20-man roster will not have to perform 21 months of military service.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link.

This maybe South Korea’s most impressive World Cup win since 2002 even though it was ultimately meaningless since they were eliminated from the knockout stage of 16 teams:

South Korea stunned Germany 2-0 while being eliminated in the group stage at the FIFA World Cup on Wednesday, bringing the defending champions down with them.

South Korea needed to beat Germany by at least two goals and have Mexico defeat Sweden in the other Group F match Wednesday. The Taeguk Warriors took care of their own end at Kazan Arena in Kazan, some 800 kilometers east of Moscow, with Kim Young-gwon and Son Heung-min each scoring in second-half stoppage time. But Sweden made it all moot by beating Mexico 3-0 in Ekaterinburg.

South Korea, which earlier fell to Sweden and Mexico, finished third in Group F with three points, while netting three goals and conceding three. Sweden won the group with six points, beating Mexico, which also had six points, on goal difference.

Germany unceremoniously bowed of the tournament with three points, losing to South Korea in goal difference and becoming the third straight World Cup champions to miss the knockout stage in title defense.  [Yonhap]

South Korean President Considering Joint 2030 World Cup Bid With North Korea via @forbes https://t.co/UiTHrJKvsy

— NorthKoreaRealTime (@BuckTurgidson79) June 24, 2018

Soccer legend Diego Maradona is being accused of making a racist gesture towards some Korean fans at the World Cup:

Football legend Diego Maradona’s racist gesture toward young Korean fans is drawing a strong backlash in Korea.

Maradona, 57, has been accused of making a “clearly racist gesture” at the Spartak Stadium on Saturday, after Korean fans shouted and waved at him in joy.

ITV presenter Jacqui Oatley, who was there as part of the broadcaster’s coverage of the game between Argentina and Iceland, claimed on Twitter that Maradona “pulled his eyes to the side in a clearly racist gesture. All of us who saw it are stunned.”  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but interestingly no one caught this on film.  However, here is what Maradona said happened:

Responding to the accusation in a Facebook post on Sunday morning, Maradona said: “Today, in the stadium, among so many demonstrations of affection from the people, I was struck by a group of people around a fan who filmed us. “I saw an Asian boy wearing an Argentina T-shirt. I, from afar, tried to tell them how nice it seemed to me that even the Asians cheer for us. And that’s all, guys, come on.” [iNews]

I will let everyone make up their own minds if Maradona had racist intentions or not.

North Korea’s women national football team is congratulated in high fanfare on returning to Pyongyang on Dec. 19, 2017, after winning a regional championship in this photo from the North’s Korean Central News Agency. The team won the 2017 East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship with a perfect record of three wins against South Korea, Japan and China. (Yonhap)