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South Korea will join Group H alongside Portugal, Ghana and Uruguay. The peculiarity of the Asian team is that it has been present at the World Cup since Mexico 1986, or Qatar 2022 will be its tenth consecutive World Cup. It is also a fact that on seven occasions she has not progressed beyond the first round, although on the occasion she was organizer she reached the semi-finals and in 2010 she reached the round of 16. Will Paulo Bento’s team make it through the first stage or will they be stuck there once again?

Paulo Bento, the globetrotter who will face his country

​The 53-year-old Portuguese was in charge of classifying the asian tigers comfortably at the World Cup. His takeover took place in August 2018, i.e. he was responsible for the entire World Cup cycle and as a reward for his work he will get the chance of his second World Cup.

His coaching career started in 2004 after his retirement as a professional footballer. Sporting Lisbon’s sub 19 was where he made his first weapons, but it was only a year later that he took charge of the main squad. In the Portuguese team he managed 180 games from October 2005 to November 2009.

In September 2010 he was appointed coach of the Portuguese national team to replace Carlos Queiroz. In his process, he reached the semifinals of Euro 2012, although he was eliminated in the first round of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The straw that broke the camel’s back and led to his departure from the technical management was a defeat against Albania in a corresponding qualifying match for Euro 2016.

In May 2016, he took over as manager of Cruzeiro, but only lasted two months in charge. In his short career he directed 17 matches where he got 6 wins, 3 draws and 8 defeats. Quickly, he got a job again, as Olympiakos required his services from him. However, he only stayed in the position for 7 months even though his numbers were really good. In 40 games, they came out victorious in 26, tied in 8 and lost in 6 while completing 71% effectiveness.

In early 2018, it arrived in the Asian continent. Chongqing Lifan FC of the Chinese League was the one who opened the doors for him and where he managed 15 matches (5 wins, 2 draws and 8 losses). After the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he replaced Shin Tae-yong and since then led the team in 48 games (W28 – D10 – L5) and scored 72% of the points.

Heung-Min Son, the Premier League figure who is the banner of his team

When one thinks of a figure, doubts quickly dissipate. Heung-Min Son is South Korea’s football leader, but also a world-class figure. His great present at Tottenham makes him one of the great figures of the Premier League, he stands out for being a vertical player who stands out for his great physical power. However, his story transcends sport and is closely linked to a strong feeling for his nation. The relationship with football is very deep, in fact his father Son Woong-jung is a former footballer who came to play in the senior team . . Son’s career began when he joined lower ranks Hamburg in Germany, but he made the leap to the first team for the 2009/2010 season. He played for three seasons, participating in 73 matches and scoring 20 goals.

In June 2013, Bayer Leverkusen paid €10 million and kept his services. At 21 he made a big leap in his career, even if it was just kicking off. After 62 matches and 21 goals, a new transfer kicked off his career. Tottenham paid €30m and Son swapped the Bundesliga for the Premier League.

Since his arrival in the 2015/2016 season, he has played nearly 250 games and has become a key player for the team. However, his development was in danger. It turns out that South Koreans have to do a mandatory 2-year military service, which would have completely ended Son’s career, but since he won the Asian Games he has been reduced to 3 weeks and has done so during the pandemic. Luck was on his side and his commitments didn’t stop him from continuing to play football.

A blow to the face that resulted in a fracture nearly kicked him out of the World Cup. But the attacker underwent surgery, he recovered and in Qatar he will wear a mask to cover the affected area. But, as he stated, he won’t miss the appointment “for the world”.

The South Korean team knows they will have a difficult goal to achieve. The draw was not the most favorable and they will share a group with two strong nations such as Uruguay and Portugal, but with Son in the lead they aspire to strengthen themselves and be able to access the round of 16.

Korea and Japan 2002, the best performance in a World Cup as a guest

20 years ago, South Korea together with Japan was in charge of organizing the World Cup. The Asian Tigers’ performance was the best in their history. They finished in fourth place in front of their fans’ eyes and were just a goal away from the grand final. The tour started in group D with Poland, USA and Portugal. The first hurdle was more than overcome, as of the possible 9 points they got 7 and managed to beat Portugal, which was the strongest rivals in the group -they were eventually eliminated in the first round-.

The rival in the round of 16 was the always tough Italy which had characters like Del Piero, Totti, Cannavaro, Buffon, Nesta, Maldini, Gattuso, Vieri, Inzaghi. On paper it was very, very difficult to beat a team full of numbers. Arbitration is remembered as one of the most controversial of the World Cupbut the truth is that with an equalizer 43′ into the second half and the winning goal 13′ into the second half, the South Korean side managed to advance to the quarter-finals.

Spain was the one waiting in the quarterfinals. La Roja had beaten Ireland 3-2 on penalties after 1-1 in 120 minutes of play and were the rivals to beat. Once again, the European side took a match to penalties, although this time they were unable to get around their next rival. The hosts won 5-3 on penalties and thanks to that win they ensured they played all 7 matches.

Already in the semifinals, the instance reached was a gigantic result. The illusion spread in the atmosphere, but they failed to prevail against Germany. The match was favorable for those led by Rudolf Völler, who with a goal from the exquisite former midfielder Michael Ballack entered a new world final and displaced South Korea from the deepest illusion of him.

Third and fourth place came against another surprise. Turkey, like Korea, was not in anyone’s plans when it came to livening up the competition and both revelations squared off to see who would complete the podium. Turkey took a historic third place by winning 3-2 with goals from Hakan Şükür and brace from İlhan Mansız, but South Korea also crowned its best performance and he did it in front of the eyes of all his fans.