| South Korea's national football team manager Paulo Bento, center, celebrates with his staff after beating Iran 2-0 during a World Cup qualification match at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, March 24 / Yonhap |
By John Duerden
After clinching a spot in the 2022 World Cup with two games to spare, there were only two aims that interested South Korea in the remaining matches. Sure, there is plenty to do in terms of performance, organization, looking at players and tactics and all the rest but in terms of numbers, it was simple. The first aim was to break the spell that Iran has over the Taeguk Warriors, in recent years and the second, was to finish top of the group.
The first of those aims is necessary for the second to happen and so far, so good. Last Thursday in Seoul, fans were allowed back into the stadium ― over 64,000 of them ― and they witnessed a 2-0 victory for Korea over its west Asian rival. Since the 2011 Asian Cup when the Taeguk Warriors defeated Team Melli 1-0 at the quarter-final stage, the two teams have met seven times, five in World Cup qualification and also twice in friendlies with Iran having won four and drawn three. Last week's victory puts an end to that poor run as well as Iran's psychological advantage over South Korea.
Goals from Son Heung-min and Kim Young-gwon, the same two players ― though in different order ― that scored in that famous 2-0 win over Germany at the 2018 World Cup, won the game. The three points put Korea on top of Group A with 23 points from nine games, one ahead of Iran. There is just one game left.
Now all the team needs to do to take the top spot is to go and win in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday. The host team in Dubai needs victory to take third-place and secure a playoff against Australia at home.
That should make for a good game and the kind of test that Korea wants as the team starts its preparation for the World Cup in Qatar. Korea deserved the win against Iran but the first half performance was sluggish even if there were major improvements after the break as the home team created numerous chances and really could have won by a bigger margin, though Iran made some opportunities too.
"We faced a very good team that created some problems in our buildup. In the first half, we committed some unforced errors," Korea coach Paulo Bento said. "But in the second half, we improved. The way we controlled the game and the way we managed the ball possession was much better in the second half.”
There is another reason why Korea wants to win in Dubai as victory could help its FIFA ranking which is currently 29 in the world. New rankings will be calculated on March 31 and they will be used to help determine which team is placed in different pots ahead of the draw which takes place the following day. In short, the teams with the highest rankings have the best chance of facing weaker teams at the World Cup.
By the end of the week, Koreans fans, players and coach will know who they will be playing at the World Cup. The tournament, which kicks off in November in Qatar, is finally about to get very real.