Lee Keun-ho scored the first two goals at 26 minutes and 80 minutes. (Yonhap News)
Korea went into the final round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers after trouncing Qatar 4-1 at the Al Sadd Stadium in Doha on Saturday.
The game took off with a bad start for the Korean team as Qatar dominated the pitch in the beginning of the half.
It was Yousef Ahmad that rocketed past two defenders to sink in a goal at a difficult angle.
However Korea promptly responded and took the pitch from there after Kim Bo-kyung tossed up a cross from that met Lee Keun-ho’s head before Qatar goalkeeper Qasem Burhan. It was that header that was a omen for Qatar of what was to come.
Kwak Tae-hwi started the second half with another header off a corner kick which asserted Korea’s lead over Qatar.
Kim Shin-wook took his captains lead and sunk in a comfortable ground shot just outside of the box. Just before the match ended Lee greeted the ball once more, for a coup de grace header into the net.
National team coach Choi Kang-hee and his men look will on their way to the 2014 World Cup for the eighth time in a row.
The team which largely dominates the rest in the group—Iran, Lebanon, Uzbekistan and Qatar—in FIFA rankings is largely the favorite and showed people why on Saturday.
Korea will now head home to face off Lebanon on Tuesday, while Qatar will head to Iran to face the group’s second favorite.
By Robert lee
(robert@heraldcorp.com)
한국, 월드컵예선서 카타르 대파, 조 1위!
한국 축구가 2014년 브라질 월드컵 아시아 지역 최종예선 첫 경기서 카타르를 4대1로 대파했다.
8회 연속 월드컵 본선 진출에 도전하는 한국은 9일 새벽(한국시간) 카타르 도하 의 알 사드 경기장에서 열린 최종예선 A조 1차전에서 전반에 선취골을 내줬으나
이근호(2골), 곽태휘, 김신욱의 연속골로 카타르를 4-1로 물리쳤다.
한국은 한 경기를 치른 이란(1승), 두 경기를 마친 카타르(1승1패)와 함께 승점 3을 챙겼으나, 골 득실에서 앞서 조 1위로 나섰다.
A조에는 한국, 카타르를 포함해 이란, 레바논, 우즈베키스탄이 편성됐다.
홈 앤드 어웨이 방식으로 치러지는 최종예선에서 조 2위 안에 들면 브라질월드 컵 본선에 직행한다.
한국은 12일 오후 8시 고양종합운동장에서 레바논과 2차전을 한다.