SOUTH KOREA:
WHY THE TIGERS OF ASIA ARE THE HAPPIEST PREDATORS AT THE WORLD CUP
Having stayed up to watch South Korea take on Czechia last night, I couldn’t help but notice the presence not only of the players but of the fans as well. The team looked unfazed. Stoic even. Like they know their speed, power, and resilience will take them further than many are giving them credit for. The fans seemed up for the occasion. Ecstatic and humbled to witness the World Cup, and indebted to one another for their ability to attend.
There’s a kind of joy that follows South Korea around any tournament they’ve been to, and you feel it before you ever see the product on the pitch. Just unfiltered delight from a nation that travels in numbers and enjoys every minute of football they’re privileged to watch. But don’t mistake the warmth and welcome from Tigers fans for a lack of determination and belief in their team.
South Korea are a nation you’d happily share a beer with at full time, and one perfectly content to ruin your tournament on the way there. Few nations make turning up feel like such an honor while being good enough to turn it into a problem for everyone else in attendance.
On the pitch, they’re capable of lulling you into mistakes and punishing them when given the chance. The relentless engine of Son Heung-min (now playing in Los Angeles), the finesse out wide of Lee Kang-in (fresh off a Champions League double), and the power of Kim Min-jae at the back are just a few of the names who can hurt whoever they play. The emergence of Hwang In-beom last night was fun to witness, however, where the attack is fluid and fast, the defense leaves something to be desired.
For now, though, they really feel like a team that is going to shock some people, sneakily becoming a favorite of mine to watch and follow the rest of the summer.
They press, they counter, they refuse to be intimidated by ‘star power’, and every couple of tournaments, they remind everyone exactly how uncomfortable an evening against them can be. Happy to be here, of course. Easy to play against, never.
🇰🇷 ⚔️
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