Iran Presents Ultimate Test
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter, Korea Times
After sneaking into the knockout rounds with a 1-0 victory against
Asian Cup co-hosts Indonesia, the South Koreans are now bracing
themselves for a quarterfinals match against their old foes
Iran.
Pim Verbeek's boys have yet to find their form in the tournament,
never scoring more than once in any of the three group stage
matches and showing an alarming tendency to tail off in the
second-half, squandering early leads to both Saudi Arabia and
Bahrain.
Meeting Iran on a one-way street doesn't inspire any confidence, a
country that has repeatedly proved itself as Korean football's
biggest nemesis in international competition for the past two
decades.
The Iranians seem relieved of facing a familiar opponent they had
much success against recently, instead of a surging Saudi Arabia
that is peaking at the right time.
``It is interesting that we are playing against them (South Korea)
in the Asian Cup quarterfinals again but hopefully we can win this
match again,'' said Iran midfielder Andranik Teymourian, who plays
for the Premiership's Bolton Wanderers.
Despite declaring themselves as the team to beat in Asian football
time after time, the South Koreans have won the Asian Cup only two
times and nearly a half-century has passed since their last title
in 1960. And Iran has much to do with their futility of
trophies.
Iran beat Korea 2-1 in extra time in the 1972 finals to lift their
second consecutive Asian Cup trophy. In the 1996 tournament in
United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran blasted Korea 6-2 in the
quarterfinals, which is still considered among the country's most
embarrassing moments ever in football.
The loss resulted in the sacking of manager Park Jong-hwan, hailed
as the Korean equivalent of Vince Lombardi before the drubbing,
leaving him with a tainted reputation as an underachiever who
wasted what was then considered as the best national squad ever,
with all-time talents such as striker Hwang Sun-hong and midfielder
Hong Myung-bo in their primes.
Korea seemed to solve its Iran jinx in the quarterfinals of the
2000 tournament, beating them 2-1 on a double by Lee Dong-gook, a
striker now playing for Middlesbrough and also starting for the
current national squad. However, Iran returned the favor in the
2004 tournament, beating Korea 4-3 in a dramatic game.
Verbeek says that his squad has enough talent to beat Iran this
time around, but the Taeguek Warriors' uninspiring play in the past
three matches makes his words less convincing.
The Dutch coach had employed a similar defensive-minded game plan
in all of the three group stage matches, packing the midfield with
five players to dominate possession and slowdown the pace of the
game, while taking what the opponent's defense gives them on the
attack.
However, it would be hard to qualify the strategy as a success,
which resulted in a shortage of goal-scoring opportunities with
most of the midfielders playing deep to cover for a shaky defensive
line.
Verbeek could only hope that his team breaks out of his funk
against Iran, which owns what clearly is the tournament's most
potent midfield lineup.
Bayern Munich midfielder Ali Karimi scored five goals in the 2004
tournament and seems to be back in top form.
The former Asian Player of the Year will be supported by other
Europe-based players such as Teymourian, Eintracht Frankfurt 's
Mehdi Mahdavikia and Osasuna's Javad Nekounam, forming a unit
capable of terrorizing Korea's enlarged midfield.
Iran will also trot a proven finisher upfront in Hannover 96
striker Vahid Hashemian.
Verbeek is likely to be forced to keep his 4-5-1 formation to cope
against Iran's superior firepower, meaning that the Koreans will
have to be more clinical in front of the net since there could be
long minutes between goal-scoring chances.
He would have to find someone to provide composure in front of the
net, as the dismal play of forwards Lee and Cho Jae-jin, both
looking uncomfortable in the role as lone striker has grown into
the team's biggest concern.
Lee, No.2 on the Asian Cup's all-time scoring list with 10 goals,
looked disturbingly hesitant in his limited appearances in the
tournament, although he showed a hint of aggressiveness off the
field with his rambling complaints about lack of touches.
Cho, who won the starter's job over Lee, is out proving what his
critics have always said about him __ a player gifted with the
physique of a great striker but not the senses.
Ulsan Hyundai midfielder Lee Chun-soo has clearly been Korea's best
player so far with his relentless attack on the right flank, and
his set-piece prowess could be crucial for the team, especially
with the strikers struggling to break out of their funk.
Perhaps Verbeek would wish to screw Ulsan Lee's head atop Cho's
body to solve Korea's scoring woes. Mad-science could hardly be an
option, but the Dutch coach seems to be running out of ideas to
coax the team into playing better than the sum of its
parts.
