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Staff reporter
To make it to the quarterfinals, South Korea will have to get past a tough battle against Uruguay on Saturday's bout in Port Elizabeth. And past encounters show the match will not be a comfortable one.
Uruguay, ranked 16th in the FIFA rankings, has met with South Korea four times in international matches, including one at the World Cup, and won all of them.
For South Korea, this is a shot at revenge, 20 years after the teams met in the final group stage match at the 1990 Italy World Cup. Then Uruguay manager Oscar Tabarez is again at the helm of the squad.
The Asians, who had lost the previous two matches, could have kept their hopes of survival alive with a win, but a last-minute goal by Daniel Fonseca put their campaign to a ruthless end in a 1-0 loss.
Uruguay was not impressive in South American qualifying, and were the last team there to book a World Cup berth by beating out Costa Rica with a 2-1 aggregate win in a playoff.
Now it is leading the surprise run of participants from the region by topping Group A ahead of Mexico, the 2006 runner-up France and the host South Africa.
The squad relies upon the dogged and hard-working captain Diego Lugano at the back, partnered with Diego Godin in the center.
Its defense didn't allow a goal in the group stage, in stark contrast to their performance in the regional qualifying round where they gave up 21 goals in 20 matches.
But the real threat from the Latin Americans is likely to come in attack. The country claimed 30 goals in the qualifying round, the third highest following Brazil with 33 goals and Chile netting 32 goals.
Diego Forlan is definitely the one to be wary of. The Atletico Madrid striker, who was the top scorer in Primera Liga in the 2004-05 and 2008-09 seasons, scored two goals against South Africa, and seven goals in 13 qualifying matches.
Luis Suarez is another to keep an eye on as a highly coveted option for the South Americans up front. The Ajax Amsterdam player scored the winner against Mexico, playing a pivotal role in putting his side atop the group.
"Among South American teams, Uruguay is particularly known for its tough play and its power. It has a number of excellent players," manager Huh was quoted Tuesday as saying on the next opponent by Yonhap News Agency.
"If we prepare well, we can expect to achieve good results. Our players are expected to compete even harder to reach the quarterfinals."
The South Korean team will move to Port Elizabeth later this week, where it had a flying start with a 2-0 victory over Greece in its first group match on June 12.
태극전사, 우루과이에 4패 설욕?
한국팀이 8강에 올라가려면 역대 국제경기에서 한국과 맞서 4전 4승의 기록이 있는 우루과이를 꺾어야 한다.
우루과이는 이번 남아공 월드컵 조별예선에서 강팀 프랑스, 남아공, 멕시코를 누르고 조 1위로 16강에 오르며 예상외로 선전을 했다.
한국팀이 경계해야 할 선수로는 조별예선 무실점 기록의 주인공 우루과이 팀 주장 디에고 루가노와 디에고 고딘이 있고, 또 디에고 포를란은 우루과이의 강한 공격력의 중심이다.
허정무 감독은 연합뉴스와의 인터뷰에서 "우루과이는 남미팀 중에서 힘을 앞세운 터프한 플레이를 많이 한다”며 “경기장에 오기 전에 우루과이-멕시코 경기를 봤지만 뛰어난 선수들이 많다"고 밝혔다.
오는 토요일 포트 엘리자베스 넬슨 만델라 베이 경기장에서 한국팀은 그간의 패배를 설욕하고 8강에 올라갈지 귀추가 주목된다.
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