by It may be too simplistic to say that South Korea are the Manchester United of Asia and Japan the continent’s equivalent of Manchester City, but there is more to it than the red and blue kits. The first two games of the third – and decisive – round of World Cup qualifying have reinforced the feeling that while the Koreans rely on the performance of their star players in the decisive moments, the Samurai Blue are a well-oiled winning machine.
Son Heung-min shone in a much-needed 3-1 win in Oman on Tuesday, scoring one goal and providing the other two in this Group B match. Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan scored the first goal while Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in pulled the strings. With Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae as the rock of defence, there is a star-studded backbone that even some of the higher-ranked teams than Korea’s 23 would be pleased to have.
But there is disarray in the red corner, and it is not just the lack of a coherent strategy that was a feature of Jurgen Klinsmann’s one-year tenure that ended in February. There is trouble off the field too. Before, during and after the opening match against Palestine in Seoul last Thursday, fans angry with the Korea Football Association for various reasons booed newly appointed coach and old Korean football legend Hong Myung-bo (the 2002 captain had said he would not leave Ulsan HD, which he had led to the last two K League titles, before finally taking the job in Korea in July).
The stars were not impressed with the boss’s reception. Kim ended up going to the fans and asking them to hold back a bit before walking away shaking his head. “I wasn’t aggressive at all. I was just a little disappointed that some people wanted us to fail,” he said. The captain was also upset. “If we’re playing at home, at least we shouldn’t make enemies ourselves,” Son said. Lee said: “I can’t speak for everyone, but honestly, as a member of the national team, I think it’s a shame that we started our game with boos.”
There was not much celebration at the end either. A 0-0 draw against a Palestinian team ranked 72 places lower, who were playing their first game in this qualifying phase and had to contend with all sorts of problems at home, was a bitter setback.
Korea’s win in Oman was no stunner, but even among the last 18 teams in Asian qualifying, there are teams that will struggle to match the skills of Son, Hwang, Lee and Kim. The boos could stop if – and that’s a pretty “if” – coach Hong can develop a coherent style of play with a set structure.
Maybe one like Japan’s. First there was a 7-0 loss to China in Saitama. The scale of the humiliation means that most of the attention has been focused on Team Dragon’s second-highest defeat, but Japan have been great. Whichever player comes in, the style remains the same, while the team’s ability to take advantage of opportunities, a long-standing weakness, seems to have changed.
Tuesday’s away game was played in Bahrain and won 5-0. It would not be a surprise if Japan won all ten of their Group C matches, but that is not necessary. The top two teams in the three groups of six qualify directly for the World Cup, while the third and fourth placed teams advance to the next round, where two more places will be up for grabs.
The win in Bahrain was particularly impressive as the hosts had just returned from a 1-0 victory in Australia, which had led to numerous complaints about time-wasting and bus parking. The Socceroos also failed to score in Indonesia, playing 0-0 in front of 78,000 fans in Jakarta.
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At least Australia is not bottom of the table. China is sixth and bottom. As if things couldn’t get any worse after the defeat to Japan, on the morning of the match against Saudi Arabia it was announced that the Chinese Football Association had banned 38 players for life for match-fixing and gambling. However, 48,000 fans queued for hours to get into Dalian Stadium and support their team.
But despite taking the lead and playing for 70 minutes against a team with ten men, China lost 2-1 thanks to two goals from Hassan Kadesh, a defender who had never scored on the international stage before. Both goals came from corners and the second came in the last minute. It was a small respite for Roberto Mancini, whose year in Saudi Arabia was not a particularly happy one.
The sudden departure of Hervé Renard, who is set to take charge of the France women’s team in 2023, was a blow. The Italian reserve is almost as casual on the bench but his players are not quite as effective on the pitch. Mancini has tried to give young players a chance and has looked to players from outside the Big Four, but tangible progress is hard to come by and criticism was widespread after a 1-1 draw in the first home game against Indonesia. The dramatic victory, seen by some in Riyadh as cold and arrogant, drew a rare smile from the coach and enthusiastic cheers from his players. It could be a turning point in his tenure.
In Group A, Iran and Uzbekistan have the maximum possible six points, while Qatar has just one point. The 2022 hosts may be Asian champions, but everyone knows who the real number 1 is. It used to be South Korea, but now the Blues from Japan are at the top.
