Preview

South Korea (4-3-3)

Player	Notes	Age	Club
1 Cho Byung-deuk		30
3 Choi Kang-hee		30
4 Cho Min-kook		25
5 Chung Yong-hwan		29
8 Chung Hae-won (c)		29
9 Hwang Bo-kwan		24
14 Choi Soon-ho		27
17 Gu Sang-bum		24
18 Hwang Sun-hong	sub 61′	20
20 Ko Jeong-woon	sub 54′	22
22 Lee Young-jin		25

Substitutes
6 Lee Tae-ho	on 61′	28
19 Sim Bong-sub	on 54′	22

Manager: Lee Hoe-taik

Singapore (4-5-1)

Player	Notes	Age	Club
1 David Lee		31
4 Syed Faruk	sub 62′	22
5 Borhan Abu Samah		24
7 Darimosuvito Tokijan		26
8 Hasnim Haron		22
9 Au-yeong Pak Kuan		28
10 Abdullah Noor		27
14 A.R.J. Mani
15 Thambiayah Pathmanathan (c)		33
16 Ishak Saad		27
18 Hazali Nasiron	sub 81′

Substitutes
3 Lim Tong Hai	on 62′	20
11 Jamludain Hassan	on 81′

Manager: Jita Singh

Tactical line-ups

 

 

 

 

 

 

Match report

First half: 

Our first half footage contains approximately 11,30 minutes of action, and it is fair to say that South Korea are being portrayed very favourably, as they seem to be almost constantly on the attack. They play an expansive brand of football in which players all around the pitch are involved, and they’re a very exciting team to watch as they tear into their opponents at will. A couple of times they’re almost too attacking, and switch off at the back, but the gulf in class is very evident in favour of the home side, even if you can’t get the full picture just from a selected highlights reel. 

South Korea are in a 4-3-3 formation, where they like to work the ball out from the back, making use of libero Min-kook to instigate, as he’ll typically spread a pass sideways to either full-back, both of whom enjoy coming forward, and in particular left-back Sang-bum, who keeps tormenting Singapore’s right hand side. Their midfield three consists of two very attacking players in Bo-kwan and not least skipper Hae-won, who is involved in so much of what happens when the Koreans are on the attack. They’re not just rich in numbers, but they come forward with such pace and precision, they switch play easily and make use of pacy transitions, and combined this makes defending an almost impossible task for the visitors. 

Due to the weak level of the opposition, the South Koreans at times resemble a 4-2-4 unit, with wide right forward Sun-hong often coming into a central position alongside centre-forward Soon-ho, with attacking midfielder Bo-kwan filling in along the right. Down the left they have a tricky customer in the shape of Jeong-woon. They steamroller their way forward time and again, and create an early chance when a cross from right-back Kang-hee finds Sun-hong inside the six yard area, from where his firm header goes straight at goalkeeper Lee. 

It comes as no surprise when South Korea move ahead after only seven minutes of play, and for the third time already they attack down the right hand side, where Singapore’s over-worked left-back Samah can’t keep up with the pace of Bo-kwan, who gets on the end of a well-directed pass out right by Soon-ho. His cross right before the ball crosses the goalline is perfectly weighted for Sun-hong, who controlledly guides his header to the left of goalkeeper Lee from inside the six yard area. It is the start that they would have wanted. 

The home side are quicker, stronger and more skillful. They switch play from one side to the other with such ease, and they nearly add another goal to their basket when holding midfielder Young-jin spreads it wide right for Sun-hong to flick it onwards for captain Hae-won, but he’s unable to control the ball as it comes off his head, and though goalkeeper Lee is wrong-footed and would have been unable to get to the ball had it come goalwards, it eventually ended up a couple of yards wide of the post. 

While the away side seem to offer little in terms of controlled play, they nearly notch a shock equalizer as captain Pathmanathan hits a hopeful ball from the back with the South Korean defence caught square. Speedy striker Noor is able to get to the ball with centre-back Yong-hwan caught ball-watching, and as home ‘keeper Byung-deuk is caught in no-man’s land, the Singaporean #10 attempts an audacious half volley lob from 30 yards out which sails just past the upright. It probably made the South Koreans realize that they needed to be switched on at all times; they could ill afford slip-ups against such paltry opposition, although whatever harm it would do was only to tarnish their record, not see them risk not winning. 

The Singaporean outfit is a fairly small-sized one, and they do struggle physically to contain the home side. Their only hope appears to be chance like the most recent effort from their lone striker, but then they string a few passes together and see Noor brought down on the right angle of the South Korean penalty area. It is left-back Sang-bum who’s the culprit, and while the angle hardly favours the shooter, midfielder Pak Kuan nevertheless decides to have a go with his left foot. However, he can’t keep it down, and the threat is gone. 

After skipper Hae-won has fired a low shot to draw a steady save from Lee, the home side increase their lead as left-back Sang-bum wins two challenges in an attacking left position before he swings a cross into the centre of the area. He finds Soon-ho, whose header is deflected off left-back Samah and away from the goalkeeper, and to ensure the ball crosses the goalline Sun-hong rushes to connect to get his name on the score sheet for a second time. It was just reward for the persistence shown by Sang-bum on the left hand side, and surely there was no way back into the game for the visitors having conceded a second with 20 minutes on the clock. 

Half-time score: South Korea 2, Singapore 0

Second half: 

Neither side has made any half-time substitutions, and Singapore are getting the final 45 minutes under way through wide midfielder Haron and striker Noor. However, South Korea don’t take long to win the ball, and immediately set their sight on attack through left back Song-bum, who in turn feeds wide left man Jeong-woon. When he plays the ball in field to striker Soon-ho, he flicks it on for skipper Hae-won, who collects 30 yards out, drives a few steps ahead before he unleashes a dipping shot with his right foot that smashes off the crossbar and remains in play. Lee couldn’t get near it. 

The reels from the second half is really a collection of South Korean attacks, and after Hae-won’s effort, the skipper is next set up by a cheeky backheel from Soon-ho, only to fire his shot from an angle into the side netting. Next up is holding midfielder Young-jin, who strikes it sweetly with his left foot from 25 yards, only to see the ball clear the bar by half a yard. The Singaporeans can hardly make it across the halfway line before their play’s broken up, and the South Koreans’ transitions are blisteringly quick. They execute their hyper direct style very efficiently, but it must be said that the level of the opposition is very questionable. Still, the home crowd are surely enjoying what they’re seeing. 

It would appear that both Soon-ho, who’d notched both of the hosts’ first half goals, and Sun-hong are playing through the centre, with Bo-kwan powering down the right hand channel at will. They’re all-out attack, and it is highly entertaining to watch them in action. They must curse their luck when they strike the woodwork for a second time as Bo-kwan’s effort from inside the area comes back off the angle of the post and crossbar with Lee again soundly beaten. It is a ferocious effort, and the ball is recouped by the hosts, who then has an effort blocked from Jeong-woon, before Soon-ho’s goalwards poke is then cleared over his own bar by left-back Samah. If ‘under the cosh’ had a face, this would be it. 

The home side have made at least one substitution at this point, though we have no visuals of either of the four second half introductions. Next up for the hosts is…yet another effort against the bar! On this third occasion it is substitute forward Tae-ho who doesn’t connect cleanly from a ball that’s bounced up in the area, but his half scuffed shot nevertheless rams against the bar, and it is a third lucky escape for the visitors since the start of the half. Tae-ho has come on for Sun-hong, while wide man Young-jin got replaced by Sim Bong-sub. 

The attacks are relentless. Soon-ho draws a top class save out of Lee from inside the area to win a corner, and then Tae-ho hits a close range effort straight at the goalkeeper when he really ought to have done better. At this stage the half is turning into a parody of spurned opportunities, and while Singapore are not getting themselves into any kind of attacking positions to threaten the South Koreans’ 2-0 lead, the home side should’ve been out of sight at this point. 

Before our footage is up, there’s yet another unbelivable set of misses from the home side, as Lee first saves Sang-bum’s drive from the left corner of the area, while the rebound reaches Young-jin, who then fires a diagonal shot against the base of the right hand post, with the ball cannoning back off Lee’s feet before it again reaches Young-jin, who then fires over. This is comedy stuff, and you can’t help feeling sorry for Singapore, who are simply to weak to not be sent to slaughter. It is a total annihilation; it is just not mirrored in the scoreline. 

There is time for yet another hit at goal, and this time South Korea make it count, as their excellent team captain again drives forward and takes aim from the edge of the area at an angle. His diagonal shot powerfully finds its way into the back of the net via the left hand post; it’s a peach of a goal! Hae-won had been instrumental in the creation of a number of opportunities, so for him to get his name on the scoresheet must be said to be well deserved. The crowd certainly got value for money, and there was not time for much more than for the Singaporeans to restart the game before the referee blew for full time. 

Final score: South Korea 3, Singapore 0.