| By Wang Meng Meng | ||
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Suh Myeong Won heading in South Korea's first goal against China in last night's AYG football semi-final, en route to their 2-0 win. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE |
Seven is a number that is associated with mythology, religion and even perfection.
But there is nothing other worldly, miraculous or perfect about the way his 14-year-olds play, says South Korea's Asian Youth Games football coach Chung Jung Yong.
Just give them a ball and let their instincts take over, the tactician believes.
Despite his attempts to downplay his team's overwhelming superiority, South Korea gave another polished performance in the 2-0 semi-final win over China for their seventh win. It maintained their perfect tournament record of seven wins in as many games and made them favourites for the gold medal.
They have bulged the net 28 times and conceded just four goals.
Add to that the style and swagger, and Chung has the nucleus of the future Korean national team in his hands.
But the coach insisted: 'They are only 14. There is little point in teaching them too much tactics.
'It's more important that they go out there and play their natural game.'
What the 1,000-strong crowd at the Jalan Besar Stadium saw over the 80-minute game last night was how flair and fitness is so deeply ingrained in South Korea's DNA.
They have power, as seen in the way Portsmouth striker Suh Myeong Won outmuscled a posse of Chinese defenders to nod in Lee Hui Chan's 14th-minute free kick.
With the clock running down, the Koreans continued to entertain as if they were ambassadors of Brazilian football.
Outrageous flicks, one-touch passes and even a cameo by goalkeeper Lee Seong Won, who dribbled past a Chinese striker as if he was filming a Nike commercial rather than playing in a semi-final.
And they have steel. After substitute right-back Cheng Zecheng had yanked Kim Sun Bin down and a penalty was awarded, the Korean striker faced the agony of having his penalty retaken, as Singapore referee Sukhbir Singh spotted the Koreans encroaching into the box.
Unperturbed, Sun Bin calmly placed the ball back on the spot before despatching it into the top corner to seal the South's victory in stoppage time.
Said China coach Zhu Jinxing: 'Our plan was to defend deep and counter-attack but the Koreans were superior in midfield and on the flanks.
'They stopped us from playing. They are in a different class. We have lots to learn from them.'
Still, Chung downplayed his players' achievement, saying: 'After seven games in two weeks, my players are tired.
'Our game plan is always about grabbing the first goal within the first 15 minutes to give us a cushion. But we struggled to do that against China.
'From now on, it is all about stamina. It is important that my players recover well for the final.'
In yesterday's first semi-final, Ryo Yu Song's goal six minutes from time sealed a 1-0 win for North Korea over Iran.
The overlapping left-back latched on to midfielder Kim Chong Il's weighted through pass to calmly lift the ball over advancing goalkeeper Meisam Labbaf and set up an all-Korea final tomorrow.
No answer
'Our plan was to defend deep and counter-attack but the Koreans were superior in midfield and on the flanks. They stopped us from playing. They are in a different class. We have lots to learn from them.'
ZHU JINXING, China coach, on his team's defeat
