OlyWhites v Korea Republic, 22/07/21

The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home

OlyWhites Stun Korea To Set Up Progress Prospects

by Jeremy Ruane

New Zealand's OlyWhites stunned Korea Republic 1-0 at the Kashima Stadium on July 22 to set themselves up for a great chance of progressing to the knockout stages of the 2020 Olympic Men's Football Tournament.

Danny Hay's charges employed pragmatic tactics for the majority of the game, playing to not lose by employing five defenders behind a four-man midfield wall, leaving striker Chris Wood to plough a lone furrow in attack throughout the first half, and again after the Burnley striker had struck the game's only goal twenty minutes from time.

Captain Winston Reid showed rustiness from his lack of recent match-play in the early stages of the match, his sloppy sixth minute pass ricocheting off Lee Kang-In to Hwang Uijo, whose piledriver certainly gave the West Ham United defender a wake-up call, Reid requiring treatment after the ball struck him flush in the face as he looked to atone for his error.

This was the first of very few highlights in a largely turgid first half, in which the OlyWhites basically said to the Koreans, "Break us down if you can!" For purists, such tactics are a form of anti-football, given how starkly they contradict football's image and description as "the beautiful game".

But for a country like New Zealand, which more often than not at this level of the game faces nations boasting far greater footballing resources than will ever be seen in Aotearoa, such an approach is crucial if the country's intention is to be competitive, not just attendees at events such as the Olympics and World Cup Finals.

Every once in a while during the first spell, the OlyWhites gave the Koreans something to contemplate, such as in the ninth minute when Liberato Cacace and Callum McCowatt combined neatly to present Elijah Just with a shooting chance, one at which he snatched, allowing Song Bum-Keun to smother comfortably.

A short corner routine by the Koreans in the eighteenth minute resulted in Kwon Changhoon's shot being blocked, the ball rebounding to Lee, who blazed his effort wildly over the crossbar. Four minutes later, Michael Woud's vital block thwarted Kwon's acrobatic volley, after he had been picked out by Lee's cross.

Another volley from Kwon, in the shadows of the half-time whistle upon receipt of a Kang Yoon Sung cross, flew narrowly past the post, moments after Woud had produced a fine save to prevent Hwang's diving header from finding the net, the striker having been picked out by Um Wonsang's measured cross.

The Koreans enjoyed plenty of possession in the first half, but made little headway with it. And after Um saw his shot blocked to safety after initially going down in the area under Cacace's challenge five minutes into the second half, Korean coach Kim Hak-Beom rang the changes, making a rare triple substitution just prior to the hour mark.

The OlyWhites, meanwhile, had started to come out of their defensive shell, with Joe Bell and McCowatt particularly prominent as a more enterprising and attack-minded approach from the men in white became evident.

Had it been backed up by quality delivery, Wood would have had far more ammunition to work with, but as it was, his reward for leading the line in the face of adversity would soon be amply rewarded.

Not before one of the Korean substitutes, Lee Dongjun, had just failed to get on the end of Lee Sang-Min's searching pass on the hour, soon after which McCowatt's inswinging corner at the other end of the ground had to be pawed out from beneath his crossbar by Song, who was caught somewhat unawares by this unexpected development.

Buoyed by the sight of the Koreans in a spot of bother, the OlyWhites pressed again in the 66th minute, McCowatt again responsible for the delivery of the set-piece, this time a free-kick. He picked out Wood, who was able to direct it to the far post,

where Nando Pijnaker was on hand to sting the gloves of Song.

This stirred the Koreans into renewing their attacking impetus, and within a minute, Lee You-Hyeon and Won Dujae had combined on the right to present substitute Lee Dong Kyung with a shooting chance. Reid cleared this goalbound effort to safety.

Twenty minutes from time, the game was turned on its head by a goal for the OlyWhites. Dane Ingham and Just combined on the right, the latter looking in-field for support and finding it in the shape of Bell.

His shot struck Jeong Tae-Wook and rebounded perfectly into the stride of Wood, whose first touch was imperious, his second clinical, the ball arrowing beyond Song into the back of the net.

Cue OlyWhites delight, which was quickly tempered by the sight of the offside flag raised aloft, one which Wood instantly responded to by shaking his finger - he was convinced he was onside and that the goal should stand.

The Video Assistant Referee was indulged for two minutes, before South African referee Victor Gomes was given the message that he could award the goal. Before he had even signalled the change in circumstances - the raising of the offside flag meant a defensive free-kick had been awarded in the meantime - Wood, who was standing next to the official, began celebrating.

He was swiftly joined by his team-mates and, looking on thousands of miles away, New Zealand's football fans, who last saw any of the country's male representative teams playing a competitive fixture in November 2019 - All Whites' defeats to Eire and Lithuania.

Would they hold onto their lead, however? There was only one team in it for the rest of the contest, with Pijnaker forced to make a vital headed clearance in the 76th minute, shortly before Jeong headed narrowly wide from Lee Dong Kyung's free-kick.

Eight minutes from time, Kang got to the by-line and engineered an opening which allowed substitute Song Min-Kyu to wriggle his way past four opponents, only to undo all his good work by failing to trouble Woud unduly with his shot.

Three minutes later, Reid went down with another head injury, this time after clashing heads with an opponent, and this time in the middle of a sterling rearguard action - the OlyWhites could ill afford to be without their captain at such a crucial stage of the game.

Following treatment, he emerged with his head swathed in a white bandage, and just in time too. The Koreans had piled on the pressure against their temporarily outnumbered opponents, and had one last chance as the game entered stoppage time.

But Jeong Seung Won's deft header inside just failed to be met by Hwang, its intended target, and the sound of the final whistle soon after confirmed a first-ever Olympic Games win for New Zealand's male footballing representatives at this event, the OlyWhites, with the prospect of more to follow before this tournament is concluded.

As evidenced by a Korean player's refusal to accept the offer of Wood's hand during the post-match ritual of acknowledging your opponents' contribution to proceedings, it's a prospect which the Koreans, for one, certainly hadn't contemplated prior to kick-off!

Korea Rep.: Song Bum-Keun; Lee You-Hyeon, Jeong Tae-Wook, Lee Sang-Min, Kang Yoon-Sung (Park Ji-Soo, 87); Um Wonsang (Lee Dong-Kyung, 58), Won Dujae, Kim Dong Hyun (Jeong Seung Won, 77), Kwon Changhoon (Song Min-Kyu, 58); Hwang Uijo, Lee Kangi-I (Lee Dongjun, 58)

OlyWhites: Woud; Ingham, Stensness, Reid, Pijnaker, Cacace; Just (Waine, 71), Bell, Lewis (booked, 77) (Elliot, 90), McCowatt (Stamenic, 83); Wood

Referee: Victor Gomes (South Africa)

OlyWhites