S. Korea slams Greece 2-0 in Group B opener

S. Korea slams Greece 2-0 in Group B opener

By Tony Chang

2010/06/13 00:39 KST

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, June 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea beat Greece 2-0 in their World Cup Group B opener Saturday, brightening their hopes of advancing to the second round for the first time in overseas tournament.

The South Koreans went ahead in the first half, with defender Lee Jung-soo volleying in a free kick from teammate Ki Sung-yueng from near the left flag pole in the 7th minute to the cheer of 31,000 spectators at Nelson Mandla Bay stadium in Port Elizabeth.

Lee's goal is the fastest point scored by South Korea in its World Cup finals.

In the second half, captain Park Ji-sung clinched the team's second goal as the Premier Leaguer snagged a pass from Greek defender Loukas Vyntra, outpaced two markers and slipped the ball into the far left corner in the 52nd minute.

Despite having employed a defense-heavy formation, the South Koreans were not shy of a formidable offense against the 2004 Euro champions led by German coach Otto Rehhagel. Striker Park Chu-young came close to adding goals several times.

Running out of time, the Greeks came out strong and created some good chances toward the end of the match, only to be foiled by South Korean goalie Jung Sung-ryong.

With 10 minutes left to the whistle, Greek striker Theofanis Gekas unleashed a powerful shot from close range but the South Korean goalie tipped it over the bar.

Since their first appearance in the World Cup held in Switzerland in 1954, South Korea has made it to the second round only once, in 2002, when they played at home.

In Seoul, President Lee Myung-bak said he was proud of the players for "giving a big joy" to the people, his spokesman Park Sun-kyu said.

Coach Huh Jung-moo and his players repeatedly have said that their primary goal in South Africa is to advance to the second round. The country has played in six consecutive World Cups, from 1986 in Mexico to 2006 in Germany.

South Korea is scheduled to play Argentina on June 17 and Nigeria on June 23.

"Although we were leading, we tried to play an aggressive game," Huh said at a post-match press conference. "Argentina is a strong team, but we won't wither and will show everything we have."

Huh became the first South Korean to lead his team tp a World Cup victory. The country's four previous wins at the Cup finals were spearheaded by Dutch coaches Guus Hiddink (three in 2002) and Dick Advocaat (one in 2006).

The team captain, Park, said he was "honored" to score his third World Cup goal but gave credit to other team members for the victory. "In the end, it's down to the team winning," he said.

Greek coach Otto Rehhagel said the South Koreans deserved their win.

"The Koreans played very well, they fought hard, they used their chances, we didn't. We'll go back to Durban now and analyze what went wrong factually and soberly and try and improve for our next game."

Source: yonhapnews.co.kr

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