[Recent News][6]

K League 1
K League 2
Classic
FC Seoul
Jeonbuk
Daejeon
Challenge
ACL
AFC
Featured
Interview
Ulsan
Korean National Football Team
Incheon
Podcast
Jeonnam
Seoul E-Land
Busan
Daegu
Jeju
Suwon
FA Cup
KNT Men
Transfers
Gyeongnam
Gangwon
K-League Classic
Pohang Steelers
K League Challenge
Fans
Ansan
Suwon Bluewings
Gwangju
Seongnam FC
Asan
Anyang
Bucheon 1995
Suwon FC
Preview
Gaming
Daejeon Citizen
Bucheon
KNT
Football Manager
Abroad
Sangju
Citizen
From The Stands
Pohang
K League Classic
FM2018
Busan IPark
World Cup
Gimcheon
Awards
Korean national team
Elimination Game
News
FIFA
KFA
Asian Cup
EAFF
Recap
FM2017
Events
KNT Women
K League All Star Game
Chungbuk Cheongju
Chungnam
K3
Russia 2018
East Asia Cup
Gimpo
K4
Qatar 2022
playoffs
FIFA16
Power Rankings
Cheonan
Away Days
CONIFA
Club World Cup
Busan Transport
Cheongju
Chungju
Goyang
Inter Korea
North Korea
Ulsan Citizen
Yangpyeong FC
Asian Games
Chiangrai United
Cho Hyun-woo
Final A
Final B
Final Round
Goyang Citizen
K5
Mokpo City
National League
Pocheon
Russia 2020
SoRare
Survivor
TNTFC
Winners Circle
Yokohama
scouting

South Korea Falls Flat Against Japan in Final EAFF Encounter

Japan defeated South Korea 3-0 in the final match of the EAFF-E1 Championship for their second triumph in the competition, the first time they have done so since 2013.  It was a dominant performance from the Samurai Blue, who were simply too much for the Taeguk Warriors, who had very little to offer on the night.  KLU's Branko Belan looks back at the match. 
(Photo Credit: Korea JoongAng Daily)


A Poor First Half

South Korea played a very weak first forty-five minutes, as they created little of consequence in the final third.  The tempo of their play was too slow, they ceded possession too easily, and their positioning on the pitch made their attempts to push up the pitch too predictable, as they were often times too close to one another and didn't use the spaces in passing areas well enough.  Japan, on the other hand, looked dangerous moving forward and caused some discomfort to the Korean back line on a number of occasions, coming close midway through the half with an effort from inside the area that clipped the post and stayed out.

Jo Hyeon-woo did not have a particularly strong first half himself, as his clearances upfield rarely found their target, but he was on hand to make a key save in the 33rd minute after a corner swung in from his right clipped the frame of the goal and fell into the path of an approaching attacker, but the Ulsan Hyundai 'keeper got down well to smother the effort and stem the danger.  For all their endeavors forward, and despite having strong support and home-field advantage, the Samurai Blue still could not find a way through the defending champions and the sides went to the break without goals.

KLU Patreon

Second Half Defensive Collapse

Instead of showing frustration after being unable to take the lead before the break, Japan responded by picking up where they left off after the interval.  Paulo Bento did not make any immediate halftime adjustments and it cost him as the hosts took the lead just four minutes into the second period, when Joel Chima Fujita crossed in from the right flank for Yuki Soma to head home.

When Song Min-kyu came on for Eom Won-sang in the 56th minute, South Korea's fortunes did not change.  Sho Sasaki put the match seemingly beyond reach when he headed home from a corner in the 63rd minute, and it was from that point on that it was certain there would be very little chance of Bento's men getting back into the match.  Japan continued to be a threat, using the ball well in attacking spaces, and they would add a third with just under twenty minutes to play when Takuma Nishimura's chipped pass found Ryuta Koike, who played the ball across goal for Machino Shuto to tap into the net.

For Japan, it was their first EAFF E1 Championship title since 2013, snapping the three tournament winning streak for Korea in the process.  Now, both team will look ahead to September when they go through their final tuneups for the World Cup in Qatar.  Both teams have difficult draws ahead.  South Korea is in Group H with Portugal, Ghana, and Uruguay.  Japan, meanwhile, is in Group E with Spain, Costa Rica, and Germany.

Bento Under Pressure

Paulo Bento now has some questions to answer in the coming months before the World Cup with regards to the talent level and depth of his squad.  Identical 3-0 wins against China and Hong Kong did little to measure the worth of the squad chosen for this competition, and that was proven in the loss to Japan.  What can be seen is that the quality of players in the J League is higher than the quality of players in the K League based on what was seen on Wednesday night.

There are several reasons for this, including more investment in football in Japan, better facilities, and a more competent football federation.  Fans and fan chapters are a fixture in Japanese football.  The same is not the case in Korea, where marketing the game has failed to attract fans in bigger numbers on a consistent basis for more than several years.  Football infrastructure in Japan far outdistances its Korean counterpart by a considerable margin, and there is really no comparison between the two federations - the KFA is mired in difficulties at the moment, stemming from the departure of Kim Pan-gon to take on the head coaching position with the Malaysian national team, just one of a long list of concerning issues needing to be dealt with, with incompetent officials and a scattered bureaucracy, and overall limited structure and a lack of will to improve the situation among the greatest shortcomings.

Then, the question of Bento must also be addressed.  His team selection has been criticized for quite some time now, as he continues to rely on the same players from one international window to the next, and it hasn't brought consistent results.  Several players did have their international debuts this time around, but will they be in the national team picture in the future?  One would have to think not.  The manager also will have to get together with his staff and have a hard review of his tactical setup and tweak a few things to improve the overall possession game and the passing language on the pitch.

Korea is still in need of a sure-fire number one striker.  Could it be Cho Gue-sung going forward?  He had his moments in Japan but was nowhere to be found against the hosts, in part because the service into him was almost non-existent.  He needs a better supporting cast to be effective, and that should be an area of focus as the team now sets its sights on preparations for Qatar. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Start typing and press Enter to search