It’s looking grim for South Korea at the 2007 Asian Cup. With one game remaining in Group D, the Taeguk Warriors no longer control their own destiny. After one draw and one defeat, Korea’s Asian Cup hopes are, as headline writers around the world like to say in such situations, ‘hanging by a thread.’ It was the 2-1 loss at the hands of Bahrain on a warm Sunday evening in Jakarta that has pushed the 2002 World Cup semi-finalists to the edge of elimination. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that the team crawled to the brink itself after shooting itself in the foot. Only a win against Indonesia in Jakarta on Wednesday and a positive result in the game between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia elsewhere will see one of the pre-tournament favourites squeeze into the last eight. It shouldn’t be this way. Korea took an early lead, dominated most of the game against Bahrain but somehow ended up with nothing. Surprising as the loss was, the scenario is not an unfamiliar one. If lowly Taiwan are taken out of the occasion; in the five competitive games played since the World Cup, Korea has now taken the lead four times yet failed to record a single victory. In qualifiers for the Asian Cup in Seoul, Korea went ahead against Iran and Syria, controlled proceedings but were undone by defensive mistakes. Saudi Arabia may not have been dominated but weren’t killed off and we all saw what happened against Bahrain. Friendly matches don’t seem to be a problem however. In the five so far this year, Korea took the lead in three and won and fell behind in the other two and lost. In the post-match press conference on Sunday, a Korean journalist questioned the players’ famed mental strength. In Asian football circles, it is an oft-repeated assertion that those who pull on the red shirt have an indomitable, never-say-die attitude and all-round rock solid mentality - the Taeguk Warriors. Maybe they are not quite as strong as previously assumed. In competitive games that they are expected to win, a South Korea team that holds a narrow lead rarely gives confidence that it has the capability to protect or add to it. Perhaps like Australia, Korea just feel more comfortable as underdogs with their backs against the wall battling against the 'big' teams. Bahrain are no slouches on the Asian scene and almost reached the final of the 2004 competition. However in the 12 previous meetings between the two countries, the Gulf State had drawn three and lost nine and that sorry record was looking likely to be extended to an unlucky 13 after Kim Doo-hyun’s early strike. Just before half-time however, the Korean defence went to sleep and was undone in the simplest of manners. A free-kick on the edge of the centre circle was lofted over the defence and into the penalty area for Salman Ali to fire home. Six minutes from time, another defensive mistake led to Ismaeel Abdullatiff scoring the winner. Both were classic examples of Korea’s concentration problems at the back. No defence is immune from such lapses but for much of the post 2002 World Cup period, the Korean back-line has demonstrated all too often that is liable to switch off at crucial moments. The worst part is that such mistakes seem to have an incredibly high conversion rate into goals – as Bahrain’s two shots and two goals demonstrated. Coupled with the problems at the back is the team’s inability to kill teams off when they have both the lead and control of the game. Much of the second half was spent in and around the Bahraini penalty area but possession and pressure didn’t yield the expected number of clear-cut chances. When opportunities did come, they weren’t taken. The team is missing such stars as Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo, Seol Ki-hyeon and Kim Nam-il and it is likely that results would have been different with that experienced quartet available. However, the starting eleven that took the field against Bahrain was not full of fresh-faced youngsters. Many of them had World Cup and overseas experience – certainly enough to avoid defeat against Bahrain after taking an early lead. Bahrain coach Milan Macala said after the game that for all Korea’s personnel changes from the previous game, the style and tactics were exactly the same. A settled system is all well and good but when attacks become predictable the team has to be so effective that it doesn’t matter or changes have to be made. It is harsh on Korea that they are in this position. Australia have performed much more poorly yet, unlike the east Asians, still control their own destiny going into the final game. Korea could easily be leading the group yet find themselves propping it up - such is football. As I write, I can see the local fans outside the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta lining the streets in an attempt to get tickets for Wednesday's game. It will be a red-hot atmosphere in front of over 90,000 screaming fans. The going has gotten tough, now is the time for the tough to get going. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Hotels in Bangkok - Bookings Hotels in Kuala Lumpur - Bookings Hotels in Jakarta - Bookings Hotels in Hanoi - Bookings Hotels in Ho Chi Minh - Bookings

The problem with the Asian Cup being held in four countries is that it is hard to shake the feeling that you made the wrong choice and that people are having a better time elsewhere. Imagine being invited to four different parties on New Year’s Eve – all great, potentially but all but one practically impossible to attend. Was Jakarta the right choice? Having the underside of your taxi at the airport checked for bombs when arriving at the hotel is better than stretching for banishing any travel-induced weariness but then again, after a day involving three airports; it wasn’t really a big deal to put bags through an X-ray machine one last time before receiving a room key. The next day, the one before the opening game in Jakarta, there seemed to be a distinct lack of Asian Cup atmosphere around the sprawling city. Indonesians will tell you that no other Asian country loves football like they do but actions would speak louder than words when they faced Bahrain in the opening game of Group D. Around 90,000 seats were waiting to be filled in Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, one of the world’s largest arenas. Built by the Soviets in 1962, it has lasted longer than the communists and is still in good nick. Truly cavernous, only a running-track prevents it from being a perfect arena. The local FA’s (named PSSI) office is inside the stadium -an easy target for the fans and media who don’t have a good word to say about them. One journalist I enjoyed a few ‘bintangs’ with even spat on the floor when mentioning their name. I didn’t follow suit but agreed that not opening the ticket booths around the stadium in the two days prior to the game was a little strange. On game day itself, fans complained about waiting for three hours to buy tickets. Perhaps around 60,000 of them were inside when the game started. Some who didn’t want to wait broke down the barriers and raced in the wrong way through a large emergency exit. They were blocked by a phalanx of policemen, a not-so-thin blue line soon reinforced by riot police. There they stayed the whole game. It was hard to know how much of the action they saw but at least they experienced the atmosphere. “We have the most passionate fans in Asia,” I had been told the previous night. Hearing the wild cheers for every throw-in, corner, decision and tackle against Bahrain, it was difficult to disagree. The smoky, sweet south-east Asian evening air added to the feeling of excitement and exoticism. There was nothing exotic about the guy sat to my right in the press box. He was from Swindon. “I’m still a fan,” said the AP man. “I took my Indonesian wife to watch Swindon – Mansfield a while ago.” After the inevitable question as to her feelings about her County Ground day out came the reply. “Well, she liked the chips.” Chips! No such luck at the Bung Karno, not even a goreng, mie or otherwise. Plastic bags full of water were de rigueur and most of them were thrown in to the air in the 12th minute as Budi Sudarsono rounded the ‘keeper to put the hosts ahead. Fans, press box and AFC Liaison Officers went crazy. “In-do-ne-sia” came the cry from all parts of the stadium. 14 minutes later however, it was the proverbial pin-dropping time as Sayed Mahmood Jalala equalized for the visitors. It was an entertaining game and at times, genuine end-to-end stuff as play moved forward from defence to attack quickly on both sides. Bahrain had more chances but with rusty-looking strikers, they were destined to fail. Indonesia may have created few clear-cut openings in the second-half but it was no surprise when star striker Bambang Pamungkas, a headline writer’s dream, got what proved to be the winner in the second half to send the Soviet-designed roof the way of Sputnik. For Indonesian and English alike, it was a tense last few minutes and Bahrain didn’t help by hitting the bar but it was Indonesia’s night and a thoroughly enjoyable one. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Hotels in Bangkok - Bookings Hotels in Kuala Lumpur - Bookings Hotels in Jakarta - Bookings Hotels in Hanoi - Bookings Hotels in Ho Chi Minh - Bookings