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| South Korea's midfielder Kim Min-woo reacts to the defeat following the Russia 2018 World Cup Group F football match between Sweden and South Korea at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod on June 18, 2018. / AFP |
By John Duerden
South Korea slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Sweden in its opening game of the 2018 World Cup in Nizhny Novgorod, Monday. The Swedes had the better of a fairly dour game and Andreas Granqvist scored with a second-half penalty that was given after the referee had used the Video Assistant Referee system.
It now leaves the Taeguk Warriors with much to do if they are going to finish in the top two places of Group F and progress to the second round. The next two games are tough: against Mexico on Saturday and then Germany four days later. Mexico defeated the world champions 1-0, Sunday.
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| Sweden's Pontus Jansson celebrates after the match. / Reuters |
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| Sweden's Andreas Granqvist, third right, celebrates with teammates after the group F match between Sweden and South Korea at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Nizhny Novgorod stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Monday, June 18, 2018. Sweden won 1-0. / AP |
Korea looked nervous for much of the game and struggled to find any fluency and it was Sweden who had more and better opportunities.
A very warm afternoon started quite well for the Korean team, wearing white not red, though the Asian team did not create any clear chances. Midway through the first half however, Sweden came very close to opening the scoring.
The ball fell to Marcus Berg just five meters from goal and while the United Arab Emirates-based looked certain to score, Cho Hyun-woo somehow got his leg in the way to produce one of the saves of the tournament. The pressure continued and it did not help that veteran left-back Park Joo-ho soon had to leave the field with a hamstring injury.
With the referee stopping the game frustratingly often, Korea was seeing little of the ball and was unable to generate any momentum at all though a thrilling Son Heung-min run down the right when he showed that he was faster by far than anyone in yellow was a moment of excitement.
There was no doubt as to which team was happier to hear the half-time whistle, and that was Korea. Sweden was looking threatening with headers going over the bar and Ki Sung-yueng and Kim Young-gwon forced into risky, if effective, last-ditch tackles in the area.
If Korea was a little lucky to be level at the break, there was more life in the second half. Early on, Koo Ja-cheol went close with a header. But still Sweden carried more of a threat and Cho was forced to get down quickly to save once again as the Scandanavians showed their aerial prowess.
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| South Korea's Jang Hyun-soo in action with Sweden's Marcus Berg. / Reuters |
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| Sweden's midfielder Emil Forsberg, left, challenges South Korea's forward Son Heung-min during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group F football match between Sweden and South Korea at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod on June 18, 2018. / AFP |
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| Sweden's Emil Krafth, centre right, and South Korea's Ki Sung-yueng, centre left, head the ball during the group F match between Sweden and South Korea at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Nizhny Novgorod stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Monday, June 18, 2018. / AP |
Yet Korea was hanging on with chances of grabbing a late goal against the tiring Swedes. Yet just after the hour, the worst happened. Kim Min-woo's challenge on Viktor Claesson was clumsy. It seemed as if the left-back had got away with it, despite strong appeals, yet as Korea attacked, the referee stopped the game to review the incident on video. He then gave the penalty and Granqvist stepped up to coolly side-foot the ball home.
Korea huffed and puffed and while there was finally some pressure exerted on the European defense, Shin Tae-yong's men never really created a clear chance and Sweden looked fairly comfortable until the final minutes when Hwang Hee-chan headed Korea's best chance of the match wide.
Now attention turns to Mexico. Another defeat and the 2018 World Cup could be all over with a game still remaining.
