Portugal looks to exploit Korea DPR’s inexperience in a mouth-watering Group G encounter
Group G is the most interesting group in the World Cup which is known as the ‘Group of Death’. It’s named in such a way largely because at such an early stage of the world cup, three truly world class teams including Brazil, Portugal and Côte d'Ivoire were all drawn together. Brazil, as expected, have already qualified for the next round after comprehensively beating Côte d'Ivoire 3-1 yesterday. Both Portugal and Korea would look to take advantage of the Côte d'Ivoire situation and look for a win to ease through to round of 16.
Portugal and Korea DPR have met only once before, in what proved out to be one of the classic matches of all time. In 1966, Portugal was 3 goals down before an ardent comeback let to a 5-3 victory when the final whistle was blown. However, at present, both teams would settle for even a narrow win to secure all three points and in turn strengthen their chances to make it to the next round.
After a frustrating draw against Côte d'Ivoire in the opening game, Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz needs to bring around an inspiration to spark the first victory for his side. Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, the most expensive player of this World Cup will probably have the burden of his entire country resting on his strong shoulders. He would seek to lift his game after a frustrating display against Côte d'Ivoire. His spectacular long distance attempt on goal was perhaps the only highlight of his performance against the ‘Dark Horses’. Portugal would need to understand the importance of this game, as they have to face Brazil in their last game of this group. Brazil is unstoppable at the moment, and the Portuguese need to utilize the inexperience of the Koreans if they are to qualify for the next round.
Defeating Korea, however, would not be a walk in the park. Koreans held the Brazilians to a stalemate in the first half. Korea boasts a frustrating defence, which was broken by the five time champions with a lot of difficulty. They would therefore, need to block Ronaldo’s slippery pace, skills and curling attempts on goal if they are to stand a chance against a hungry Portuguese side. Korea also managed to pull one back against the Brazilians which proved that Korea will not go down without a fight. Coach Kim Jong-Hun would look to utilize the pace in his side, which will be central to his team’s fortunes. Rostov striker Hong Yong Jo and Ji Yun Nam are amongst the most dynamic footballers in the Korean line-up.
The Portuguese will have the likes of Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira in defence, as both players formed a formidable partnership against the elephants. The duo will look to repeat their impressive performance and contain the pace and technique of Hong Yong Jo and Ji Yun Nam. Ronaldo would also be anxious to score a goal, whether by his stinging long distance strikes or by his curling top corner free kicks. One thing is for sure, CR7 would want to get on the scoring sheet and add his name to the list of scorers of this low scoring FIFA World Cup.
Coach Carlos Queiroz is aware of the Korean threat and importance of this fixture as he claimed, “We’ll have to play higher up the pitch against the North Koreans and take more risks because we need a victory. Obviously we can’t afford to play the way we did in our last match. We got a point against a very strong team and now we’ll approach the next game with a clear goal: to win”.
This fixture between these two very talented sides would be an entertaining feast. Both sides would look on to take advantage of any weakness in defence. The defence line needs to be on their toes to block any chance the other team would seek to create. Portuguese would look to unleash Ronaldo’s undeniable talent and playmaker’s Deco’s ability to disrupt the resilient Korean defence. Korea on the other hand would look to break the rock solid defence of Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira by their pace if they want to have even a glance at their goal. The talent and experience each of the Portuguese players possesses make the 2006 World Cup semi-finalists the obvious favourites in this match and might just manage to pull a narrow, well fought victory.
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