Conclusion

There was never any contest as to who would progress from this group and on to the next and final phase of the AFC qualification. The South Koreans were divisions better than their group rivals, and didn’t even concede once in six outings. They proved to be a swift, energetic, attack-minded and exciteable team which was very pleasant on the eye, and only their profligacy in front of goal saw the scoreline in matches against Malaysia and Singapore down. 

The first batch of six matches were all played in Seoul, while the final six, or the reverse fixtures if you want, took place in Singapore. South Korea opened with a 3-0 win over the Singaporeans, where Hwang Sun-hong scored twice, while Malaysia defeated whipping boys Nepal by a meagre 2-0 scoreline. The latter were on the receiving end of a 9-0 rout two days later, in a match where the South Koreans effectively fielded their second strings. Malaysia won by the only goal of the game against Singapore, with ace marksman Dollah Salleh on target. When the two undefeated teams met, Malaysia were desperately fortunate to escape with only a 3-0 loss, and another brace for Sun-hong. 

On Singaporean shore, South Korea hardly took their foot off the gas, and defeated both Malaysia and their hosts by further 3-0 scorelines, while they once again rested their first XI as they only put four past Nepal this time around. Still – 25 goals from six matches is not a bad return. In the 2-2 draw with the hosts, Malaysia did look the better side, and justly ended as runners-up, two points ahead of Singapore. Nepal didn’t find the back of the net a single time. 

Were the slick South Koreans really this good, or was it just the limited level of the opposition that made them look so? As they with such ease made their passage through to the final phase of the AFC qualification, answers would only come when they arrived in Singapore once again for a couple of weeks in October, where they would come face to face with the other five first group stage winners. 

Final standings: 
1. South Korea 6 6 0 0 25-0 12
2. Malaysia 6 3 1 2 8-8 7
3. Singapore 6 2 1 3 12-9 5
4 Nepal 6 0 0 6 0-28 0