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Chosun - The South Korean football team
finished up its overseas training on a high note with a victory over FIFA
sixth-ranked Mexico.
Lee Dong-gook was in luck 15 minutes into the
friendly at Los Angeles’ Memorial Coliseum, netting the winning goal in the
1-0 game. Korea dominated for most of the match, but out of the multiple
scoring opportunities allowed by the Mexican defense, Korea was only able to
convert one.
This victory comes four years and eight months after Korea’s last win over
the formidable Mexicans, a 2-1 triumph at the Confederations Cup in Ulsan.
Their match record tallies altogether four wins, two draws and five losses.
Over its entire training tour, Korea notched up five wins, one draw and
three defeats.
The Koreans started off slightly inferior to Mexico, but when Lee Dong-gook
scored taking advantage of Mexican goalkeeper Sanchez Oswaldo’s mistake, the
game turned favorable for the Asians. After Sanchez took possession of the
ball after a free kick by Lee Chun-soo, he misread a Korean off-side and
rolled the ball to kick it away, Lee Dong-gook, who was in penalty area,
sprinted for the ball and put it in the net. After that, Korea ruled,
pressuring the Mexican team from the midfield. The number of shots was 18
for Korea and nine for Mexico.
Some 40,000 out of 64,000 spectators in California were Mexicans, so Korea
faced much the same atmosphere as in an away game. Only about 10,000 Korean
residents made it to the match. On Saturday, the Koreans move on to Aleppo,
Syria via London to play a preliminary for the 2007 Asian Cup against Syria
on Feb. 22. On March 1, the team will play a friendly in Seoul against
Angola, which is also on the ticket in the World Cup in Germany, where it
will be joined by players under contract in Europe including Park Ji-sung
and Lee Young-pyo.
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