South Korea

← AFC Group 4

Having previously participated at two FIFA World Cups, indeed its most recent edition in 1986, and before that back in the 1954 tournament held in Switzerland, South Korea were considered one of the continents footballing powerhouses, albeit not solely for that record. They were also the inaugural champions of the AFC Asian Cup back in 1956, and had also won the second edition in 1960. Furthermore, the South Koreans had been losing finalists in 1972, 1980 and as recent as in Qatar in December 1988. 

Back in 1948, South Korea had qualified for the Olympic Games football tournament for the first time, and in the competition held in London, they’d won their preliminary round fixture against Mexico by five goals to three, only to exit at the quarter-finals stage having been drubbed by eventual winners Sweden by 12-0!

In January 1986, Daewoo Royals became the very first South Korean club team to win the continent’s most prestigeous competition for club sides, as they defeated Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli 3-1 in the final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Admittedly, the competition was far from the glossy version which is seen today, and the 1985/86 edition was the first to be staged after a 14 years absence.

The country’s most recent feats had been their participation at the 1988 Olympic Games football tournament, indeed staged in South Korea, and at the AFC Asian Cup held in Qatar. While they had drawn against eventual winners Soviet Union and then USA in their first two matches, they had bowed out after the group stage phase in the Olympics having lost their third and final fixture to Argentina by 2-1. They’d fared better at the continent’s nations cup, reaching the final and only losing it to Saudi Arabia on penalties.

Former international player Kim Jung-nam had managed South Korea both at the 1986 World Cup and during their triumphant 1986 Asian Games football tournament participation. A few months after the global event held in Mexico, they ultimately went on to defeat Saudi Arabia by 2-0 in the final held on home soil in Seoul. 

Current manager Lee Hoe-taik, indeed another former international, had assumed responsibility prior to the 1988 AFC Asian Cup, and with the country’s most recent achievements showcasing their strength, they must have been considered major favourites to progress beyond the initial group stage at the qualification for the 1990 World Cup. They were competing in Group 4 along with Malaysia, Nepal and Singapore, and group victory would ensure their passage through to the decisive group phase, from which the top two nations would progress through to Italia ’90 after a round-robin competition held on neutral soil. 

Prior to the start of their World Cup qualification campaign, South Korea only played a single friendly: 

Friendly
05.05.1989: South Korea 1-0 Japan
Goal: Lee Tae-ho
Line-up: Poong-joo, Kang-hee, Min-kook, Yong-hwan, Sang-bum, Deok-yeo (Yoon-hwan), Hae-won, Bong-sub, Soo-jin (Sang-kook), Yong-se (Tae-ho), Soon-ho

World Cup qualification

AFC Group 4

Match 1
23.05.1989: South Korea 3-0 Singapore
Goals: Sun-hong 2, Hae-won
Line-up (4-3-3): Byung-deuk – Kang-hee, Min-kook, Yong-hwan, Sang-bum – Bo-kwan, Young-jin, Hae-won (c) – Sun-hong (Tae-ho 61), Soon-ho, Jeong-woon (Bong-sub 56)
Two first half goals, then South Korea missed a string of second half chances, hitting the woodwork no less than four times, before a stunning finale of a goal from skipper Hae-won at least gave them a third late on. 

Match 2
25.05.1989: South Korea 9-0 Nepal
Goals: Yong-hwan, Tae-ho (pen.), Sang-kook 2, Yong-se 2, Young-jin, Soo-jin, Min-kook
Line-up: Poong-joo, Kyung-hoon, Yoon-hwan, Yong-hwan (Min-kook h-t), Deok-yeo, Young-jin (Bong-sub 69), Hak-jong, Soo-jin, Tae-ho, Yong-se, Sang-kook
With only two starters remaining from the team which had soundly beaten Singapore in their first match, the South Korean second strings led by 7-0 already just after the break. 

Match 3
27.05.1989: South Korea 3-0 Malaysia
Goals: Soon-ho, Sun-hong 2
Line-up (4-3-3): Byung-deuk – Kang-hee, Yoon-hwan, Yong-hwan, Sang-bum – Bo-kwan (Bong-sub h-t), Min-kook, Hae-won (c) – Sun-hong, Soon-ho, Sang-kook (Yong-se 67)
Another brace for the gifted finisher that is Sun-hong, taking his tally to four in two matches. 15-0 and six points from their first set of matches shows the gulf in class

Match 4
03.06.1989: Nepal 0-4 South Korea (in Singapore)
Goals: Hak-jong, Kyung-hoon, Yong-se, Tae-ho
Line-up: Poong-joo, Kyung-hoon, Yoon-hwan, Deok-yeo, Sang-bum (Min-kook 17), Young-jin, Hak-jong, Soo-jin, Tae-ho, Yong-se, Sang-kook (Bo-kwan 73)
Again resting most of their regular starters, South Korea restricted themselves to a mere 4-0 scoreline on this occasion, only notching their first on the half hour mark

Match 5
05.06.1989: Malaysia 0-3 South Korea (in Singapore)
Goals: Sun-hong, Min-kook, Bo-kwan
Line-up: Byung-deuk, Kyung-hoon, Yong-hwan, Kang-hee, Sang-bum, Jeong-woon (Young-jin 66), Min-kook, Hae-won (Bo-kwan 73), Sun-hong, Soon-ho, Bong-sub
Hoe-taik made some changes from his favoured line-up, but again Malaysia proved to be of little threat to the South Koreans

Match 6
07.06.1989: Singapore 0-3 South Korea
Goals: Yong-se, Soo-jin 2
Line-up: Poong-joo, Kyung-hoon (Kang-hee 67), Min-kook, Deok-yeo, Sang-bum, Bo-kwan, Hak-jong (Bong-sub 54), Young-jin, Tae-ho, Yong-se, Soo-jin
A fourth win by the margin of 3-0 rounded South Korea’s first phase of qualification off in emphatic style. Non-regular forward Yong-se notched his fourth goal in the series

South Korea were miles better than their opponents, and they could so easily have racked up even bigger winning margins in each of their six matches than they did. They averaged more than four goals per game, and conceded none. Their slick, attacking brand of football would be interesting to see against stronger opposition. 

Table: 
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
(India withdrew)

AFC Final Group Stage (held in Singapore)

Match 1
13.10.1989: South Korea 0-0 Qatar
Line-up: Poong-joo – Kang-hee, Kyung-hoon, Yong-hwan, Sang-bum, Bo-kwan (Sang-kook 62), Deok-yeo, Sang-ho, Joo-sung, Sun-hong (Soon-ho h-t), Byung-joo

Match 2
16.10.1989: South Korea 1-0 North Korea
Goal: Sun-hong (18)
Line-up: Poong-joo – Kang-hee, Kyung-hoon, Yong-hwan, Sang-bum, Bo-kwan (Byung-joo 64), Deok-yeo, Sang-ho (Young-jin 74), Joo-sung, Sun-hong, Soon-ho

Match 3
20.10.1989: South Korea 1-0 China
Goal: Joo-sung (67)
Line-up: Poong-joo – Kang-hee, Kyung-hoon, Yong-hwan, Sang-bum, Sang-kook (Bo-kwan 55), Deok-yeo, Sang-ho (Young-jin 64), Joo-sung, Sun-hong, Soon-ho

Match 4
25.10.1989: South Korea 2-0 Saudi Arabia
Goals: Bo-kwan (42), Sun-hong (89)
Line-up (4-4-2): Poong-joo – Kang-hee, Kyung-hoon, Yong-hwan (c), Sang-bum – Bo-kwan, Deok-yeo (Jong-soo 62), Young-jin, Joo-sung – Sun-hong, Soon-ho (Jong-chul 75)
With the knowledge that a win would see them through to a second straight World Cup, South Korea came into the game hopeful that their run without conceding could be extended into a tenth successive qualifying match. They’d made two changes from the starting eleven which had beaten China four days earlier, but failed to ignite properly for most of the first half. They did take the lead shortly before half time following the restored Bo-kwan’s 35 yard free-kick and a goalkeeper’s howler, while in the second half they manage to hold on to their lead despite fervent efforts from the opposition. Ultimately, South Korea defend well, and Poong-joo commands his area well. A minute from time they seal their victory and their passage through to the World Cup as Sun-hong nets his seventh goal of the qualification campaign. 

Match 5
28.10.1989: South Korea 1-1 United Arab Emirates
Goal: Bo-kwan (7)
Line-up (4-4-2): Poong-joo – Kang-hee, Kyung-hoon, Yong-hwan (c), Jong-soo – Bo-kwan, Sang-yoon (Sung-ki h-t), Sang-ho, Joo-sung – Jong-chul (Hyun-gi 68′), Sun-hong
The South Koreans couldn’t take advantage of their early strike, and lacked a cutting edge to their dominant display against the team which would ultimately follow them through to next year’s global event. On a cut, soggy pitch, they couldn’t quite find the necessary openings as they failed to capitalize from having so much of the possession, as shots from distance were their best, yet futile, weapon. Not that it mattered much to them, even if they conceded their first goal of their qualification campaign. 

South Korea progressed through to Italia ’90 as group winners, and so they qualified for their second successive World Cup, their third altogether

Final standings
1. South Korea 5 3 2 0 5-1 8
2. United Arab Emirates 5 1 4 0 4-3 6
3. Qatar 5 1 3 1 4-5 5
4. China 5 2 0 3 5-6 4
5. Saudi Arabia 5 1 2 2 4-5 4
6. North Korea 5 1 1 3 2-4 3

Conclusion

The ease with which South Korea moved out of their first group stage was overwhelming. They were far superior of their opponents, and in their 4-3-3 formation, manager Lee Hoe-taik had them playing some exciting, slick and attacking football. Nepal were done with 13 goals over the two encounters, while both Singapore and Malaysia twice lost 3-0, results which were flattering them rather than South Korea, who were wasteful. 

No doubt were they favourites coming into the six teams round robin competition taking place on neutral soil in Singapore during a 16 days period in October ’89. 0-0 in their opening fixture against Qatar was followed by a 1-0 victory over their fellow Koreans from the northern part of the peninsula. Young striker Hwang Sun-hong, a clinical finisher, scored for the sixth time in the qualification. As they subsequently defeated China by an identical scoreline, they had positioned themselves favourably at the top of the pile, as they’d yet to concede a single goal in the entire qualification campaign. 

South Korea’s fourth qualifier was against Saudi Arabia, and they were looking for payback following that defeat on penalties in the final of the Asian Cup. A win would cement their second successive World Cup participation, while their adversaries had had a dismal campaign, and desperately needed a win to still have a chance of qualifying before the final round of matches. South Korea won 2-0, with goals late in each half, although Saudi Arabia once again gave them a tough match. Midfielder Hwang Bo-kwan scored the first with a free-kick from 35 yards, but it ought to have been saved by the Saudi ‘keeper. Then that man Sun-hong was on target again, to take his tally to seven, and thus become leading scorer not only in the AFC confederation, but in the entire World Cup qualification altogether. Upon the final whistle, they could joyfully go on a lap of honour, displaying the South Korean flag between them as they did. Could Italia ’90 prove to be an improvement on their Mexico ’86 campaign? 

To round the qualification off, South Korea conceded their first and only goal as UAE held them to 1-1 in a game dominated by the Koreans. Coupled with results elsewhere, this sensationally meant that United Arab Emirates followed South Korea to Italia ’90. Bo-kwan scored again as he gave them a flying start, but a poor judgement from goalkeeper Kim Poong-joo allowed Al-Talyani to head home on 16 minutes. Despite some fine opportunities, the South Koreans failed to score again, and so exited the qualification with three wins and two draws.