The World Cup 2010 drawings are out and South Korea’s grouping is not ideal, but at least it’s not as bad as North Korea’s, who is in the dreaded Group of Death (i.e. Group G).
South Korea will be in Group B and their first game is against Greece. ESPN ranks them third in their group, behind Argentina and Nigeria.
The sports blog The Big Lead calls North Korea’s draw, “… appropriate karma for their human rights record.”
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Greece 0 ROK 0
You heard it here first (probably)
Oh wow, sports news about a crooked game ruined by its rules and lack of gentlemanly conduct! Whoopie! Why does anybody bother to watch FIFA anymore, anyway?
Korea played Greece several times before in friendly, last friendly they both didn’t scored any goals.
Some people thinks FIFA is fixing the games just to make money.
Korea beat Greece 1-0 in a friendly, couple of years ago.
Korea seems to get worked up about the World Cup. Outside of some match fixing in 2002 on the homeland, Korea has had limited or no success in the World Cup. Korea seems to do a lot better at baseball.
So is it now generally accepted that Korea fixed its matches in 2002?
I guess so, because I hear that a lot now.
“Korea has had limited or no success in the World Cup. Korea seems to do a lot better at baseball.”
There was only one World Cup after 2002. And Korea didn’t do too badly. They tied France 1-1 by coming back late, from a goal down. They beat Togo 2-1, once again coming back. But they lost to the Swiss, and ended up barely missing the round of 16. They finished 17th over all out of 32 teams. Not good they didn’t make the 16 cut, but not that terrible either.
As for baseball, didn’t you know, they fixed those games too? They bribed the umpires. You didn’t know that, did you?
No cm I did not know that. Perhaps in baseball its less obvious than in football.
I am not sure which is worse, when Korea wins an athletic event and one has to hear about how great Korea is, or when Korea loses in an athletic event and one has to hear how unfair or unjust it was. Gracious winner or loser Korea is not.
Korea will not win the World Cup next year. Bold prediction, so whether they are eliminated in the first stage or the second, what does it really matter?
cm,
You do know that Korea has qualified for 7 consecutive World Cups (although qualifying from Asia is not that difficult of a task), right? I think limited to no success (save the interesting results from 2002) is a fairly accurate assessment. They had not even won a game until 2002.
The 1-1-1 showing in 2006 could be interpreted as successful given the relatively weak quality of football in Asia. Other countries would not be so kind in their assessment. Talk to England, Netherlands, Spain, etc where they are expected to win every four years but have consistently failed to deliver – often in spectacular(ly bad) fashion.
Korea does do a lot better at baseball. Not hard to figure out.
Can you imagine what a huge party there would be in Haebangcheon if Nigeria eliminated South Korea in the first round? I might even come back to Korea for that one.
If it hasn’t been said recently: Congrats on beating Togo!
Also a heartily offered ” ‘attaboy” for knocking Switzerland off the world wide web for a few days after that loss.
However, I think ROK has had the most recent success at the World Cup than any other Asian country. It’s victory over Togo was the first win outside Asian territory for an Asian team.
I remember going to Itaewon on the day of the Korea-Togo game and buying a Togolese flag from a woman in a street stall. I’m as white as they come. She got this quizzical look on her face and asked me, “You country…Togo?” I laughed and said no. I had to run to my motorbike before she took the flag back. It wasn’t quite 2002, but what a night.
Besides, it’s fun rooting for an underdog going against virtually impossible-to-defeat opponents. And in World Cup soccer, they are definitely that.
Just the kind of an argument that argues against watching any sports or competitions ever.
I’m not big fan of South Korean team but I’ll be sure cheering up for North Koreans.
I’d say the ROK are the best team in Asia at the moment. The Japanese have been quite loud about how they’re aiming for the semis. I hope they’re not feeling inadequate about 2002. God knows what the North Koreans are aiming for. They lost 4-1 to Zambia in a recent friendly and appear to have parted from their coach. Maybe they won’t even turn up.
A good friend of mine who is very soccer knowledgeable has promised me that Argentina are going to blow up spectacularly at the World Cup. They have this little fat man as coach you see…
Anyway, it would be great to see ROK beating the Argies. The Korean style is quite suited to beating flamboyant teams who have a high opinion of themselves. Less successful against powerful Africans who play with speed and strength. So I’m going to go out on a limb and say 0-0 vs Greece, a cheeky 1-0 win over Diego and 2-0 defeat to Nigeria.
Crikey, Wangkon #12, yet another example of the KA demonstrating his innate superior genetic knowledge to the local expat in korea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isSIiIu_mS8&feature=related
They were 3-0 up against Portugal too, before finally losing 3-5, and were the first asian team to get past the first round and reached the quarter finals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swLNYmcaheg
Actually that first goal against Portugal’s a bit of a cracker. I’d forgotten until seeing it again now.
Don’t tell me Arghaeri, you were there at Goodison that day and you remember it well. Or not so well it seems, as you grow into the twilight of your years…
Did you know though that there is a commemorative sculptured boot at the exact spot where Pak Do Ik took his shot from against Italy way back in 66? It’s in someone’s back yard now because they’ve demolished Ayresome Park a few years back, but still remembered fondly by locals.
Korea VS Nigeria should be really good and challenging for the Taeguk Warriors. If they don’t pull off a victory vs Greece though, they didn’t deserve to move on.
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