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Korean player Park Chu-young(left) and Cha Doo-ri cerebrate after Park nets a goal during the FIFA soccer World Cup qualifying match in Kuwait City Thursday morning.
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Soccer fans in Korea stayed up overnight to watch their national team beating Kuwait, four to nil and grabbing a ticket to next year's World Cup finals in Germany. The victory secures Korea's sixth consecutive advance to the soccer finals, the first feat in Asia and the ninth in the world.
Korea's national soccer team has done it again, securing a place in the World Cup finals for the sixth consecutive time, a prestige enjoyed by soccer powers like Brazil and Argentina.
In Kuwait City, the national soccer team went ahead in the 19th minute when Kim Dong-jin made a sharp pass to Park Chu-young who scored the goal from close range. The second goal in the 28th minute by a penalty kick from Lee Dong-gook was also credited to Park who was brought down by Kuwait's Mesaed al-Enezi in the penalty area.
South Korea lived up to its soccer reputation in the second half as well. Chung Kyung-ho, just two minutes after he was sent in, fired the third goal for Korea in the 10th minute and one of the favorite players, Park Ji-sung, who plays for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, netted a goal from deep in the right side.
Sports writers said they were very impressed with Korea's well-organized offensive with good passes by Kim Dong-jin and goal-getting instinct by Park Chu-young, the teenager who is raising hopes of Korea's soccer future.
The semifinalist in the 2002 World Cup, South Korea faces off with Saudi Arabia on August 17th for its last preliminary match. Regardless of the outcome, both countries have secured berths in the finals in Germany next year.
Meanwhile, in Group B, North Korea lost its chance to advance into the World Cup Soccer Finals, losing two-to-zero against Japan in an empty stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. After a scoreless first half, Japanese midfielder Atsushi Yanagisawa gave Japan the lead in the 27th minute into the second half, and 17 minutes later, Masashi Oguro added another goal.
The match was originally scheduled in Pyongyang, but FIFA, soccer's world governing body, ordered the match to be held in a third country closed to the public. The decision was made after North Korean fans rioted following a World Cup qualifying loss to Iran in Pyongyang in March.
Arirang TV
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