Preview

In this tight round robin competition, South Korea had secured their second successive World Cup participation after their third straight win last time out, having beaten Saudi Arabia 2-0. It was also a result which had left the Saudis bottom of the pool with no chance of qualifying. Four teams competed for the second qualification berth behind the South Koreans, and today’s opponents United Arab Emirates were the only ones with a theoretical chance of surpassing South Korea in the final standings. A win by a two goal margin would see UAE leapfrog them. However, the current group leaders had not yet conceded a single goal in their first four outings, so it was a momentuous task for United Arab Emirates even to achieve a draw, which still might not be sufficient to see them through. Plenty of ifs and buts on the final day, when all three matches would commence simultaneously to leave out any possibility for unfair play. 

Pos	Team	Pl	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
1	South Korea	4	3	1	0	4	0	7
2	United Arab Emirates	4	1	3	0	3	2	5
3	China	4	2	0	2	4	4	4
4	North Korea	4	1	1	2	2	2	3
5	Qatar	4	0	3	1	2	4	3
6	Saudi Arabia	4	0	2	2	2	5	2

We’ve had the pleasure of studying United Arab Emirates’ previous two matches in full, both ending in draws against fellow Arab opposition, 0-0 against Saudi Arabia and 1-1 against Qatar respectively, and while they’d not always been entirely impressive, they’ve shown some defensive mettle to earn their draws. In difficult conditions against the Saudis, they’d struggled the most, while they’d been fortunate that Qatar had wasted a first half injury time penalty with the scoreline at one-all. Here, they’re up against an impressive South Korean outfit which has won their last three qualifiers without conceding a goal, and who are already set for Italia ’90 participation. They might need to win in order to progress through to their first ever World Cup. In head coach Mário Zagallo, thrice a World Cup winner, they have the necessary level of know-how in the dug-out.

United Arab Emirates have made two changes to their starting line-up since the 1-1 draw with Qatar three days earlier: Midfielders Abdul Razaq Ibrahim and Nasir Khamees have been replaced by Fahad Abdulrahman Abdullah and Fahad Khamees, the latter, brother of Nasir, taking the captain’s armband for the occasion. Perhaps was it somewhat surprising to see Ali Thani Juma’a back in the line-up so soon after he’d seemingly aggravated a thigh strain in their previous match against Qatar. 

After their opening day goalless draw against Qatar, South Korea had successively defeated neighbours North Korea, China and Saudi Arabia, all without conceding, and that 2-0 win in their last match had secured their passage through to a second straight World Cup. Not that it mattered a whole lot, but any result better than a two goal defeat would see them win the group. We’d watched them twice in the initial group stage, when they’d defeated Singapore and Malaysia respectively, and though it has to be said that the level of opposition back then had been vastly inferior, the slick, attacking brand of football which the South Koreans had portrayed had been aesthetically pleasing. Results so far indicate that they’re a cut above the rest in the Asian confederation, and manager Lee Hoe-taik can take plenty of pride in how he’s managed to convey his ideas on to the pitch. 

The South Korean supremo had made four changes from their last outing, coming into this fixture with the knowledge that they were already qualified, although they still carried a responsibility towards the other teams vying for that second spot behind them. They needed to remain competitive. 

39 year old Frenchman Joël Quiniou had been assigned this fixture, his third of the series, after he’d refereed both teams once previously. He’d indeed already taken charge of a match in the World Cup proper, when during the 1986 tournament in Mexico he’d been the man in the middle during Uruguay and Scotland’s 0-0 group stage draw. He had experienced officials with him on both touchlines in Yugoslav Zoran Petrović (referee for two matches at Mexico ’86) and Swede Rune Larsson.

United Arab Emirates (4-4-2)

Player	Notes	Age	Club
17 Muhsin Musabah		25
2 Khalil Ghanim Mubarak		24
3 Ali Thani Juma’a	sub h-t	21
4 Mubarak Ghanim Mubarak		26
6 Abdulrahman Mohamed Abdullaham		26
7 Fahad Khamees (c)		27
10 Adnan Al-Talyani	sub 80′	24
13 Hassan Mohamed Al-Shaibani		27
15 Ibrahim Meer		22
18 Fahad Abdulrahman Abdullah		27
20 Mohamed Obaid Al-Zahiri	78′	22

Substitutes
9 Abdullah Ali Sultan	on 80′	26
12 Abdulaziz Mohamed	on h-t	24

Manager: Mário Zagallo

South Korea (4-4-2)

Player	Notes	Age	Club
21 Kim Poong-joo		25
2 Park Kyung-hoon		28
3 Choi Kang-hee		30
5 Chung Yong-hwan (c)		29
6 Kim Sang-ho		25
7 Baek Jong-chul	sub 68′	28
9 Hwang Bo-kwan		24
12 Lee Sang-yoon	sub h-t	20
13 Chung Jong-soo		28
16 Kim Joo-sung		23
18 Hwang Sun-hong		21

Substitutes
10 Ham Hyun-gi	on 68′	26
20 Kim Sung-ki	on h-t	27

Manager: Lee Hoe-taik

Tactical line-ups

Report

First half: 

Prior to kick-off we see the United Arab Emirates players present flowers and wreaths to the South Koreans as a friendly gesture and acknowledgement towards their opponents, who had secured World Cup qualification after their most recent match. 

South Korea line up for the kick-off, and we see leading scorer Hwang Sun-hong, seven goals to his name since the start of the qualification, and Baek Jong-chul, starting for the first time in the series, prepare to initiate the game. 

This is the third straight qualifier we’re able to delve into United Arab Emirates’ fortunes, and while they’ve rarely given much away defensively in their successive draws against Saudi Arabia and Qatar respectively, they’ve also struggled to impress in an attacking capacity. The player who has probably been their greatest influence inside the opposition’s half of the pitch, Abdul Razaq Ibrahim, isn’t even starting on this occasion. His ability to take opponents on and drive forward on the ball has been invaluable, so it’ll be interesting to see how they cope without his presence, especially in a game which matters so much to them. 

The South Korean team has proved to be a particularly gifted one, and under Hoe-taik they play a brand of football which is pleasing on the eye. They have plenty of pacey players, and their ability to make swift transitions from back to front may easily catch the opposition off-guard. There is undoubtedly also an element of total football in their approach, as players may often switch positions. This takes place seamlessly, and when they click, they’re an aesthetically seeworthy bunch. For sure, their opponents in the first group stage, which is where we have previously reviewed them, were of much inferior quality, both individually and collectively, than the opposition which South Korea are faced with in this final group stage, but the way they tore into their adversaries at will was pleasing to watch. Whether they’re capable of doing that when the level of the opposition is considerably improved remains to be seen, but they’re obviously getting results, so they’re clearly the best side of this final group.  

We’d seen South Korea appear in a 4-3-3 formation in that first group stage, and while it is difficult to say whether they had continued in a similar outlook earlier in this series, they had certainly switched to a 4-4-2 on this occasion. We had seen the inspirational Chung Hae-won impress in matches against Singapore and Malaysia back in the tail end of May, but the attacking midfielder had not featured in these final stage matches. In a role where he was granted plenty of forward admission, 25 year old Kim Sang-ho revelled in a central midfield role on this occasion, and it was he who first had an attempt goalwards, when he picked up a stray pass from UAE centre-back Mubarak Ghanim before advancing and firing well over left-footed from 30 yards three and a half minutes in. They set the tone early, the busy South Koreans. 

The early dominance was underlined after six minutes of play, when central defender Park Kyung-hoon easily broke up play deep inside his own half, before advancing and feeding striker Hwang Sun-hong, who had come deep, the ball near the halfway line. The player with seven goals to his name so far in the qualification, turned, looked up, and spotted his forward companion Baek Jong-chul making a run ahead of him. With the United Arab Emirates defensive line all over the place, and in particular right-back Obaid Al-Zahiri, who played the South Koreans on, Jong-chul was allowed a clear run in on goal, only to see his effort from the edge of the penalty area diverted away for a right wing corner by goalkeeper Musabah’s fingertip save. The striker was making his first start in the World Cup qualification, and probably felt he should’ve done better. 

United Arab Emirates had failed to heed these early warning signs, and from the subsequent corner they conceded. The low set-piece towards the near post from Hwang Bo-kwan, on this occasion featuring as a wide right midfielder, was not convincingly cleared by Mubarak Ghanim, and right-back Kang-hee picked up the loose ball before returning it to the corner taker once Bo-kwan had returned onside. From wide right, he made it past Juma’a’s attempt to tackle, and then he spun past Abdulrahman, before the 24 year old South Korean decided to shoot goalwards from his position wide inside the area. He struck the ball magnificently, and it ended up high in the net behind Musabah, who was perhaps a bit slow in raising his arms. However, rather than place blame anywhere, it is Bo-kwan who should be praised for his opportunism. It was a superb strike. 1-0 to the group leaders, and UAE’s second place finish looked in jeopardy. 

They say it is all about how you respond to going a goal down. Initially, United Arab Emirates don’t seem to be coping too well, as the busy South Koreans swarm all over them, and continue to dictate play. The Arabs can hardly be blamed for feeling somewhat despondent; their opponents have yet to concede in 10 qualifiers. And it is not unlikely that UAE may need to win in order to progress through to the World Cup. So far they can’t really get going, and we see the lethal Sun-hong capitalize from a Mubarak Ghanim error to advance and fire left-footed over goal from 20 yards. It was the first time South Korea’s leading scorer had introduced himself properly in the contest. 

Gradually, some complacency appears to sneak into the South Koreans’ play, and United Arab Emirates are able to hold on to the ball and build confidence through interpassing. They have adopted a diamond-like shape to their midfield for the occasion, although it must be said that so far they’ve been unable to replace the absent Abdul Razaq. Working as the advanced midfielder among the quartet is Ali Thani Juma’a, who’d gone off towards the latter stages of the first half in their previous match, and he’d featured up front alongside Adnan Al-Talyani, their ace striker. Juma’a has fine workrate, but doesn’t have any particular stand-out features in his play. It is Fahad Khamees who is wearing the captain’s armband on this occasion, having come into the team for this match. He’s a major physical presence, but has yet to make a nuisance of himself. 

With the South Koreans a couple of times running into cul-de-sacs, stereotyped by the effervescent Kim Joo-sung along their left hand side, United Arab Emirates become all the more daring in their approach, and they suddenly draw level 16 minutes in when right-back Obaid Al-Zahiri plays a high ball into the area, where goalkeeper Poong-joo is caught in no-man’s land. Al-Talyani gets to his full-back’s cross from the deep, and his header is perfectly looped over the stranded ‘keeper and into the right corner of the goal for the equalizer. It is the first goal South Korea concede in this year’s World Cup qualification, in their eleventh outing. You’d have thought it’d bring about extatic, jubilant United Arab Emirates players, but they probably realize that there is still plenty of work to do, and so are fairly muted in their celebrations. 

As the half wears on, the conditions hardly favour the South Koreans, as they’re the team with the larger portion of the possession. It is clearly again wet, the surface is slippery, and the pitch takes a bit of a battering the longer the game runs. This may be why some of the South Korean players decide to run ball at feet rather than look for alternatives to pass the ball on to a team mate, but they may also be somewhat rattled by the equalizer and the concession of a goal for the first time in the entire qualification. It will take them some time to shake Al-Talyani’s headed leveller out of their system. Not that United Arab Emirates pose much in terms of an attacking threat, although they’d only just showed what they are capable of. 

UAE’s version of 4-4-2 under Mário Zagallo typically contains the previously mentioned diamond-shaped midfield, where the strong-tackling Abdulrahman sits at its base. His combativeness has not really come to the fore in this fixture as yet, but his ability to snap at the ankles of opposing players is a vital defensive ingredient in this United Arab Emirates team. He works hard to protect his central defence, where the Ghanim brothers are typically strong and coherent in their positioning. We had seen them break up early as Jong-chul had arrived at his chance, but full-backs Obaid and Meer had probably been the greater culprits. When South Korea have the ball in the back of the net for a second time on 29 minutes, Sun-hong’s terrific first time finish from Joo-sung’s downwards header after Jong-chul’s cross from the right is ruled out for offside, with left-back Meer only just about getting himself on the right side in time. 

When South Korea regain their composure around 25 minutes into the opening half, they once again pass the ball well among themselves, with players making runs off the ball. There are also intricate positional switches, and we see Joo-sung in particular being prominent in this capacity, appearing both in the centre and towards the right, moving across from his original position as the left-sided midfielder. He has the ability to take the ball past an opponent, and while goalscorer Bo-kwan as the right-sided midfielder is a vital team member, his forte isn’t that of darting past a full-back. Joo-sung’s temporary switch poses a different type of challenge to what Meer has previously faced. 

Marksman Hwang Sun-hong is not just about goals. While he had connected so delicately, yet powerfully to sweep the ball high into the corner of Musabah’s goal only to see his effort ruled out for offside, he had only a minute earlier done well in setting up midfielder Sang-ho for a run in on goal and a shot that drew a fisted save from the UAE ‘keeper. He was a player of some promise, was the South Korea striker. His forward partner Jong-chul was someone more prone to working in the channels; he was hardly your out-and-out striker. With this being the 28 year old’s first start in the qualification, he was keen to make an impression. The many interesting tactical aspects about Lee Hoe-taik’s team made them a seeworthy proposition, and one which certainly was not an easy one to come up against. 

For United Arab Emirates, the absence of Abdul Razaq and also to an extent Nasir Khamees in their midfield makes them a weaker team. The former would so often carry the ball in the forward direction with some success, and without him they have no one who is capable of being direct. Instead they become a long ball team, and while it had been a very useful recipe when they’d scored their goal, in just about every other attempt to hit it long for their forwards, they’d failed to win second balls. South Korea showed they were far the superior team, although the scoreline suggested otherwise. 

In the latter parts of the first half, South Korea engaged a number of players coming forward, not least left-back Jong-soo, who had a good 45 minutes. He had been seen early hitting left wing corners with his right foot, and he was indeed two-footed, as he would just as comfortably make use of his left boot to hit a pass or a cross in open play. Their more enterprising play gave United Arab Emirates plenty of food for thought, although they had been unable to add to their early strike. They had come close once again three minutes from the break, when Jong-soo switched play from left to right, where Jong-chul had once again pulled into the channel. His pass to the edge of the area was well weighted, and when Khalif Ghanim failed to connect with his head, Sun-hong delicately brought it with him by the use of his heel. He turned to face goal, took a touch, and fired low from 13-14 yards, only to see Musabah save. You’d have put money on the leading goalscorer to hit the back of the net from there. 

Monsieur Quiniou hadn’t needed to stamp much authority on the game, as both sides were exemplary behaved. There were a few hefty challenges, but none that were over the top. Just as Bo-kwan was about to take a right wing corner, the referee decided to signal an end to the first half. 

Half-time score: United Arab Emirates 1, South Korea 1. 

Second half: 

As far as the race for the second qualifying berth behind South Korea went, the other half-time scores were these:

China 0-0 Qatar
Saudi Arabia 1-0 North Korea

It meant there was still everything to play for, as a goal for China against Qatar would mean that UAE likely had to find a winner against the South Koreans in order to progress through (barring a high-score draw in their own game). The half-time table read thus: 

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

Even Qatar still had a vague chance of qualifying, but they’d need to defeat China and for South Korea to beat UAE, and then for themselves to better UAE’s goal difference. All ifs and buts. North Korea even remained with a slim chance of progressing, but needless to say a win against the Saudis was required, with other results also needing to go in their favour.

During the break, both teams decided to make a change. For United Arab Emirates, advanced midfielder on the day, Ali Thani Juma’a, had had a subdued first 45 minutes, perhaps feeling the effect from the injury which he’d picked up in their previous match, and was replaced by 24 year old Abdulaziz Mohamed. The South Koreans opted to leave holding midfielder Lee Sang-yoon, the 20 year old who had come in for the absent and possibly injured Yoon Deok-yeo, behind in the dressing room, and rather brought on 27 year old Kim Sung-ki in his place. 

We enter straight into the action early in the second half, with only a few seconds having been played. 

There is nothing much remarkable happening in the early stages of the second half. The pitch keeps deteriorating, and we notice how players at times struggle with their footing. Obviously, the quality of passing is difficult to maintain on such a surface, although it must be said that the South Koreans, in particular, strive to string passes together. Perhaps are United Arab Emirates’ tactics of going long a better fit in the circumstances, though? The South Koreans’ little one-twos rarely come off, and these usually have Joo-sung at the centre. The skillful, attacking midfield man has a major role in this set-up. He’s not pinned down just to one position, but has plenty of freedom to wander from one side to another, also appearing through the middle. 

With Juma’a having departed, Zagallo moved Al-Shaibani into the advanced midfield position. He’s someone with decent technique, and perhaps were they hoping he could make use of that fine left foot of his to pin a pass in the direction of either striker? Substitute Mohamed assumes the inside left role which Al-Shaibani had held during the opening half. Not a whole lot has been seen of Al-Talyani the goal apart, but even less prominent has skipper Khamees been. He’s a big man, so the surface clearly doesn’t do him any favours. Al-Talyani does get an opportunity to have an early strike goalwards as UAE are awarded a cheap free-kick 23-24 yards out, to the left of centre. The striker slips as he’s about to take aim, and he scuffs his effort, which is easily cleared. 

South Korea’s change at half time has seen Kim Sung-ki come on for his very first appearance during their World Cup qualifying campaign. It quickly became evident how he was a straight replacement for the player who had departed, and so he slotted into that holding midfield role behind Sang-ho. On 52 minutes, he would be the first player to draw a second half save from either goalkeeper, when he picked up a pass from right-back Kang-hee and strode forward, before hitting a low shot towards the left upright. Musabah dived low to divert it away for a left wing corner. After some early indifference, South Korea were gradually regaining their composure and beginning to once again stamp their authority on the proceedings. 

Arriving on the hour mark, South Korea must be wondering just what they need to do to regain the lead. They’re having attempts from right, left and centre, and Musabah in the UAE goal is leading a charmed life. On 57 minutes, Sung-ki once again let fly from nearly 25 yards, this time well over, while Bo-kwan came closest with his high ball towards the back stick, which was likely meant as a cross, but which Musabah needed to get some fingers to in order to tip the ball on to the angle of the post and the bar, before Mubarak Ghanim could head it away to safety for a left wing South Korea corner. And less than a minute later, Joo-sung became the latest player to fire goalwards when his right-footer from the left corner inside the box drew another save from the overworked ‘keeper. 

The South Korean dominance towards the halfway stage of the second period is almost complete. United Arab Emirates are only capable of sitting back and facing the constant waves of attack coming at them, with their more advanced players unable to offer any kind of respite for their overworked defence. However, with such a packed defensive, South Korea find it difficult to create necessary openings, and so they need to resort to shots from distance. On 62 minutes, Sun-hong, who doesn’t mind retracting and participating in build-up, is seen deep in the left handed channel, where he plays a one-two with Joo-sung, before drawing a save from Musabah down by the root of the right hand post, and for the third time since his introduction after the interval, deep-lying midfielder has a pop on 65 minutes, although well wide this time. 

South Korea boss Hoe-taik decides to make his second and final substitution on 68 minutes, when he hauls off his forward Jong-chul, who had left a decent impression in his first start, with 26 year old replacement Ham Hyun-gi coming on. This is a straight swap: a forward for another forward. Not that the substitution will mean any drastic changes in how the game portrays itself. As we progress towards 75 minutes, it is still South Korea with just about all the possession, and United Arab Emirates sitting low in their blocks, defending the point which they’ve got, and which still appears to be sufficient to take them through. China vs Qatar is still goalless. 

For all their possession, the South Koreans lack penetration, and their efforts on goal are typically from well outside the box. On 74 minutes, after a prolongued spell of the ball mainly going sideways, there’s finally another attempt, when left-back Jong-soo, who had featured in the holding midfield role in his second half cameo against Saudi Arabia last time out, fires a left-footed shot well wide and over. They hardly look bothered, as a point will see them maintain their undefeated record in the qualification. Still, a fourth straight win doesn’t look beyond them, but they’ll need to find service to Sun-hong in the latter stages in order to really put the onus on the UAE team. 

Individually, few players stand out among the United Arab Emirates’ eleven. It is a defensive, collective effort which has brought them to within touching distance of achieving the ultimate: World Cup qualification. The Ghanim brothers at the heart of their defence marshall the troops well, and while holding midfield man Abdulrahman hasn’t had his most influental of performances, he’s still working his socks off in giving chase. Left-back Meer is often faced by two South Koreans along his flank, with both wide midfielder Bo-kwan and full-back Kang-hee willing to have a go against him. Meer rarely concedes any territory behind him, and so the opposition rather decide to go for a cross or a short pass inside. On a very rare foray forward, Al-Talyani is upset at being called offside. The UAE forwards have so little to work on. 

When on 76 minutes Sun-hong is unceremoniously hacked down from behind by Mubarak Ghanim on 20 yards, it is around this time that the United Arab Emirates players will learn that their place at Italia ’90 is in jeopardy. In the game between Qatar and China, the latter have just taken the lead through their primary goalscorer Ma Lin, something which gives this table (bear in mind that Saudi Arabia are also 1-0 up against North Korea): 

South Korea 5 5-1 8
China 5 5-4 6
UAE 5 4-3 6
Saudi Arabia 5 3-5 4
North Korea 5 2-3 3
Qatar 5 2-5 3

So we’re in for a tense final few minutes both here and in the Qatar v China clash. Before Sun-hong fires the free-kick straight into the defensive wall, we see UAE right-back Obaid given the first yellow card of the match, possibly for failing to retreat the necessary ten yards, although he’s not alone. Perhaps had he even said something which the referee didn’t take a liking to. 

On 80 minutes, Zagallo also makes his second substitution, and it is a surprising one, with main striker Al-Talyani being brought off just when they need him and his goals the most. He’d been bereft of service since his goal, and it was difficult to understand why he’d been taken off rather than Khamees, who had previously been down with cramp. On in his place came Abdullah Ali Sultan, a 26 year old wearing the number 9 shirt.

There is no change in the game picture, with South Korea still knocking the ball about and asking questions of the United Arab defence. If the Chinese had representatives here, they must have felt confident at this stage that they would indeed secure their passage through to an historic first ever World Cup. Next to have a pop is left-back Jong-soo, but his 84th minute effort is a poor one, and is never in danger of troubling Musabah.

United Arab Emirates simply don’t have what it takes to make a final push, but it should be said that we’re either not being given the final couple of minutes of the match, or the referee decided to end the game prematurely. At this point, it is clear to the Arabs that Qatar have not just equalized, but even turned the game against China around, leading 2-1. This obviously meant that a point sufficed for UAE, who escape one final scare seconds before Quiniou calls an end to proceedings, with Sun-hong going down in the area after a challenge by Obaid. However, it was never a penalty. 

So that’s it. The game is over, and United Arab Emirates have held on to a point. As it were, even a 2-1 loss would’ve seen them through to the World Cup on a better goal difference than Qatar. On the touchline, there’s photographers swarming around the UAE staff, whilst on the pitch there are scenes of unadulterated joy among their players. It won’t be China, it won’t be the fancied Saudis, but rather unlikely United Arab Emirates who will go and represent the confederation at Italia ’90 along with today’s opponents. 

Final score: United Arab Emirates 1, South Korea 1.