Skipper Park Ji-sung scored an early goal as South Korea beat local rivals Japan 2-0 yesterday in a World Cup warm-up match in Saitama to leave the hosts’ preparations in tatters.
Park needed only six minutes to open the scoring when the Manchester United midfielder surged down the middle, before firing home from the edge of the area.
Substitute forward Park Chu-young added a penalty in second-half stoppage-time to seal the win, with both teams hoping to avoid a repeat of four years ago, when they each crashed out in the group stages of the World Cup.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“My players never lost their nerve in this sell-out stadium and concentrated very well until the end. I think that is the key to the victory,” South Korean coach Huh Jung-moo said.
Huh singled out Park Chu-young for special praise after the Monaco striker won the penalty — felled by home goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki — that he duly dispatched in the dying minutes.
“I was just disappointed that I didn’t send Park Chu-young onto the pitch earlier,” Huh said.
The pressure will now be firmly on Japan coach Takeshi Okada after this latest poor showing from his charges, who also lost to South Korea at home earlier in the year in the East Asian Championships.
“My players did their best, but I feel sorry for the fans that we lost to South Korea twice this year,” said a dejected Okada, whose side goes up against Cameroon, the Netherlands and Denmark in Group E in South Africa.
South Korea take on Greece, Argentina and Nigeria in Group B at next month’s showpiece.
■AUSTRALIA 2, NEW ZEALAND 1
Reuters, MELBOURNE, Australia
Brett Holman struck four minutes into stoppage-time to spare Australian blushes and give the Socceroos a 2-1 win over trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up yesterday.
Holman grabbed the winner after receiving a deft chip in the box from fellow midfielder Carl Valeri to lift more than 55,000 spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground into a frenzy.
The last-gasp goal was a cruel ending for the All Whites, who were the far more composed side and had sparked hopes of a stunning upset after a 16th-minute goal from Chris Killen.
With Tim Cahill failing to fire and three yellow cards in an abysmal first half, Pim Verbeek made a raft of substitutions after the break and was rewarded with more dynamism up front.
Dario Vidosic capitalized on a cruel deflection off Killen to steer the ball into the corner of the net for an equalizer in the 57th minute to lift the home side.
Australia reserve goalkeeper Brad Jones made a brilliant save in the 69th minute, parrying a Rory Fallon header from close range to deny the All Whites a second goal.
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