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Three giants tussle for qualification from Group
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15:06, July 03, 2007 |
4 Asian Cup as group leaders, before finally being shut out by their old foe Iran in a thrilling 3-4 defeat.
Dutchman Pim Verbeek''s side are thirsting for ending their unfortunate Asian Cup tour this time in South East Asia. With a lot of talented players, the South Koreans should have enough reasons to list themselves in the favorites for the trophy. However, a series of injuries overcast the team before the tournament.
Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung is set to miss the Asian cup after undergoing potentially career saving knee surgery in America. Tottenham full-back Lee Young-pyo, Reading''s Seol Ki-hyeon are also excluded from the squad due to injury. Middlesbrough striker Lee Dong-gook also joins the injury list.
But South Korea still has good players. Japan-based striker Cho Jae-jin, former Real Sociedad forward Lee Chun-soo and young talented hitman Park Chu-young have the power to scare any defence line of Asian teams. Veteran defender Choi Jin-cheul has retired but the team has no shortage of good young defenders in Kim Jin-kyu and Kim Dong-jin and holding midfielder Lee Ho.
Traditional Asian powerhouse Saudi Arabia will pose the biggest pressure on the South Koreans in the group. The Saudis have the technical advantage individually and their different game rhythm is one thing that will trouble the Taeguk Warriors to great extent, who always like the high-intensity style.
The Saudis will be relying on former AFC Player of the Year Hamad Al Montashari and captain Hussain Sulaimani. 2004 AFC Champions League MVP Rodha Tukar will play a pivot role in their back field, while Al Ittihad playmaker Saud Khariri and 2006 AFC Player of the Year nominee Mohammad Al Shalhoub will function in the midfield.
In the front line there will be plenty of choices at newly signed Brazilian coach Helio Anjos''s hands. Yasser Al Qahtani, Malek Maaz, Saad Al Harthi, Naji Majrashi and Saleh Bashir are all vying for a place in the side.
The Saudis have to wipe out their nightmarish experience in the last edition of the continental tournament, when they finished bottom of their group, losing to Uzbekistan and Iraq before gaining their solitary point against first-time qualifiers Turkmenistan
Bahrain is another strong force in Group D and no one can underestimate them after their amazing performance in Asian Cup 2004. Bahrain stunned hosts China in the curtain-raiser with a 2-2 draw, and finally reached the last four in a convincing way.
Milan Macala''s men have the strength to be the biggest dark horses again, as they are playing a modern attacking football. In last year''s Doha Asian Games, Bahrain proved their level in the showdown with South Korea. They dominated the match and pressured on the strong rivals continually. Though they lost the game, but even the South Koreans'' boss Verbeek had to admit that Bahrain''s style impressed him greatly and South Korea snatched victory merely by good luck.
Macala will be building his Asian Cup squad around several major players who earn a living in the Qatar and Kuwait leagues, including joint top-scorer from the 2004 competition Ala''a Hubail, skipper Yusuf and Hubail''s partner Ali.
Bahrain''s success at the 2004 Asian Cup finals helped a number of their players move abroad. And the national team benefit from that with more experienced players.
Co-hosts Indonesia are placed in a tougher group than last edition, when they were together with China, Bahrain and Qatar. Their hope of qualifying for the next round seems to be unrealistic.
In 2004, Indonesia have showed some heroic deeds by downing Qatar 2-1, thanks to a stunning strike by Ponaryo Astaman and goalkeeper Hendro Kartiko''s brave saves. But the Indonesians fail to past the group stage after two defeats by China and Bahrain.
Bulgarian coach Ivan Kolev will rely on veterans like skipper Ponaryo and striker Bambang Pamungkas, the manic support from the fans at Indonesian soil, and also the sultry weather, which may be their most efficient weapon against giants.
Source: Xinhua
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