FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa – Portugal 7-0 North Korea Match Review
Having seen North Korea put in a battling performance against Brazil (five times world champions), many believed an upset could be on the cards against a Portugal side which struggled to assert itself against Ivory Coast in their opening game. Portugal, though, had other ideas.
Cape Town was the venue for what has been the highest scoring game of the World Cup so far. The opening games of South Africa 2010 have proved to be very tight affairs but after Argentina’s 4-1 win against the South Koreans, things appeared to be taking a turn for the better. Portugal ended up scoring seven without a reply from the lowest ranked team at the world cup. The result effectively seals Portugal’s place in the round of 16 since a goal difference of +7 will be very hard to overturn for Ivory Coast. It also means that the North Koreans will be exiting the tournament at the group stages.
Portugal and North Korea played out a world cup classic 44 years ago when the match ended 5-3, with the Koreans taking a 3-0 lead and then Portugal eventually scoring 5 times to seal the win. The Portuguese weren’t so forgiving this time around. Although the score at half time was only 1-0, it was clear that the game was only going to have on winner. The Europeans appeared to be having the best of the play and looked dangerous every time they went forward. The pressure was turned into a goal in the 29th minute when Raul Meireles shot past the Korean goal keeper after being put through by Tiago. Despite large spells of pressure the score remained 1-0 at half time which flattered the North Koreans, but they would have felt that at 1-0 they could still come back into the game and grab an unlikely point.
However, seven second half minutes changed the picture completely. Portugal scored thrice in that spell with goals from Simao (53rd minute), Almeida (56th minute) and Tiago (60th minute). The North Koreans appeared completely overwhelmed by this and it was only going to get worse for them from then onwards.
Portugal continued to press and the North Koreans appeared to lose their self confidence. The Korean manager brought on Kum-il Kim and Yong-Jun Kim for Pak Nam-chol and Mun In-guk and it seemed to work, at least initially it did, as the goal blitz stopped. The Portuguese continued to attack, with Cristiano Ronaldo looking particularly hungry to open his account at the World cup.
By the 80th minute the Portuguese manager, Carlos Queiroz, decided to take off the goal scorers Meireles, Simao and Hugo Almeida and bring on Miguel Veloso, Duda and Liedson respectively. The substitutions freshened things up for the Portuguese and had the desired effect as they scored three more goals in 8 minutes. The North Koreans had no answer to a Portuguese side that was determined to score as many goals as possible in order to ensure their place in the next round. Goals from Liedson, Ronaldo and Tiago sealed a memorable victory, one which will be celebrated equally in the stress of Lisbon and Cape Town.
The match will lead to some selection headaches for manager Carlos Queiroz as Tiago ran the show for the Portuguese as he replaced deco, who missed the match due to a femoral muscle injury. Deco has been central to the way Portugal play but after an insipid performance against Ivory Coast, he may lose his place to Tiago who was phenomenal, setting up 1 and scoring 2 goals himself. The result adds to the excitement ahead of the match between Portugal and Brazil, with both teams looking very formidable. The North Koreans, on the other hand, will be looking for an improved performance against the Ivory Coast, though it will only be a consolation due to their elimination.
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