It wasn’t the prettiest and it wasn’t without controversy but South Korea’s 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia in qualification for the 2010 World Cup in Riyadh was one of the team’s best results in years and a seventh successive appearance at the World Cup looks a good deal closer. It had been 19 long years since the Taeguk Warriors last defeated the Sons of the Desert in a competitive match but late goals from Lee Keun-ho, his fifth in three games for the national team, and Park Chu-young in the early hours of Thursday morning Korean Time, gave the visitors the three points. That haul puts Korea two points clear at the top of Group Two after three matches. Iran has five, two less than the leaders, while Saudi Arabia and North Korea each have four. UAE sits in last place with a solitary point. The win at the home of one of Korea’s biggest rivals in the battle to reach the World Cup is a big step in the direction of South Africa. It also means that if Korea can avoid defeat in Tehran in the next match in February, it will be in first place at the halfway stage with three of the four remaining games to be played at home. The top two in the group automatically qualify. That is far in the future however and for the next few days at least, coach Huh Jung-moo can bask in the victory. It wasn’t an easy one but few expected it to be. Saudi Arabia had a great chance to score in the opening minutes but twice Lee Young-pyo, playing his 100th game in the red shirt, blocked on the goal-line. Korea came back into the match and enjoyed lots of possession without doing too much with it. The match was finely-poised but the turning point came just before the hour. Saudi striker Naif Hazizi burst into the Korean penalty area. Goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae came out feet-first and suddenly Hazizi was sprawling on the floor. As the Singaporean referee ran forward, Korean hearts were in mouths but instead of pointing to the penalty spot, he gave the attacker a second yellow card for diving and ejected him from proceedings. It took a while for Korea to take advantage of their advantage but 13 minutes from the end, good work from captain Park Ji-sung gave Lee keun-ho the opportunity to break the deadlock. There was still work to do and some nervous moments at the end largely due to the introduction of skilful striker Malek Maaz but with just seconds left on the clock, Korean substitute Park Chu-young curled a shot into the net from outside the area to seal the win. It was a happy Huh Jung-moo who talked to reporters after the game. “We didn’t look too good in the first half but we improved as the game progressed. We overcame a few crises early in the game and started to impose our will on the game,” he said. “To be honest, I was a little worried about how the K-League players would perform on a big international stage like this but it is through these tough matches that they grow in confidence. It is through these matches that we become stronger as a team.” Huh admitted that his opposite number, Nasser Al Johar, was not too happy with the referee. “The Saudi coach expressed his dissatisfaction with the red card and penalty decision but we have to respect the referee’s decision,” said Huh. Al Johar found that hard to do. “I really regret the referee’s decision,” he said after the match. “That decision was the reason we lost the game.” Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Football eyes have been fixed on the K-league in recent weeks but Wednesday’s 2010 World Cup qualifier in Saudi Arabia has been casting a large shadow over the domestic scene for weeks. Wednesday's game in Riyadh is the first big test in South Korea's bid to qualify for South Africa. Until now, the obstacles on that road have been provided by the likes of Turkmenistan, Jordan, North Korea and UAE. Coaches are fond of saying these days that there are no easy games any more in international football. If that is the case, it is still true to say that some opponents are easier than others. Saudi Arabia is a traditional powerhouse of the continental scene, has appeared at the last four World Cups and fully expects to be busy in the summer of 2010. When you add the fact that South Korea has tied two and lost three of the last five meetings with the West Asians then you get an idea of the task at hand at the imposing King Fahd International Stadium. Two of those defeats came during qualification for the 2006 World Cup. The first was a 2-0 reverse in the eastern city of Damman, a result that became known as the 'Damman Shock' in the Seoul media. The return game in Seoul also went the way of the Saudis and ostensibly cost then coach Jo Bonfrere his job though he told me just before he departed that the first loss was the beginning of the end. A similar result in Riyadh may not have that effect on Huh Jung-moo but then again, it might as Group Two of qualification couldn’t be tighter. Both teams have collected four points from two games in the final round of qualification. South Korea drew 1-1 with North Korea in September and then thrashed UAE 4-1 in Seoul. Saudi Arabia started with a draw at home to Iran and then won in UAE. Of the five teams in the group, only the top two automatically qualify for the World Cup. Third place enters a play-off system. Wednesday's game is a real ‘six-pointer’. It is not only about collecting three points; it is preventing your rivals from doing the same. Coach Huh Jung-moo is likely to keep faith with the young players who impressed last month in Seoul. This includes teenage FC Seoul midfielder Ki Sung-young, who has, along with his team-mates, been eating lots of lamb in preparation. "All the players are confident because of last month’s good win against UAE," Ki told reporters." We feel good physically and mentally. It will not be an easy game but if we prepare well we can get a good result." There has been some good news. Saudi star Yasser Al Qahtani has a groin injury and could miss the match. 'The Sniper' and 2007 Asian Player of the Year scored against Korea in March 2005 and the 2007 Asian Cup. Quick, strong and skilful, his absence will be welcome. The Saudis still have attacking capabilities that few Asian sides can boast and Malez Maaz may be small but he can be devastating on the ball. The Saudis have suspended their league season for the last two weeks to give their stars a chance to prepare for this match. Korea arrived in Qatar last Wednesday in order to acclimatize and play a warm-up match against the national team there. That ended 1-1 and, as these games tend to do, revealed little. "I am not interested in this result," said coach Huh in Doha. "We could have won and we could have lost but the main thing was to take a look at the players." Korean fans will also get a rare look at Saudi Arabia's players as they – satisfied by large salaries - rarely venture outside their homeland but Korea’s overseas contingent, including Manchester United's Park Ji-sung, Park Chu-young of AS Monaco and Borussia Dortmund's Lee Young-pyo were in action last weekend and only arrived in the middle-east on Sunday. Their experience will be needed – Lee will make his 100th appearance for the national team. The milestone is an impressive one and if Korea are to make it seven successive World Cups, games such as this are key. "It is a tough game but we have come here to win," Park told reporters as he arrived at Doha Airport . "We don't play against Saudi Arabia often and we don't have a good record against them. We will do our best to change that on Wednesday." Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Autumn has been more fruitful than the summer. As the last European season came to an end in May, the fate of South Korea’s overseas stars really hung in the balance. Some were fit, few were playing and none were scoring. Lee Dong-guk and Lee Chun-soo were soon heading back east after unsuccessful spells in England and the Netherlands respectively. Neither managed a league goal and, it is safe though cruel to say, neither will be missed by the fans left behind. But there are always more willing to wander westwards in search of fame and fortune. Kim Do-heon has impressed for Premier League new boys West Bromich Albion. The ex-Seongnam star almost scored the best goal of the English season so far but his rocket shot from 30 metres bounced off the crossbar. His performances led the BBC to label him a ‘tenacious, technical and tidy player’. Now he is injured after a freak accident in last week’s match at Middlesbrough. After just 20 seconds, Kim caught his cleats in the turf and twisted his knee. He was carried off in obvious pain. Korean TV network MBC was also distressed. Following the Korean practice of starting the broadcast a minute or two after kick-off, Kim had already left the field by the time viewers joined the action, leaving commentators unsure of how to explain the events. Also unsure of how to deal with Kim’s absence is national team coach Huh Jung-moo. The player will be back in action some time in November and will miss South Korea’s crucial 2010 World Cup qualifier against UAE on October 15. Another overseas absentee for that Seoul match next week is Park Chu-young. The striker joined Monaco on the last day of August and scored on his first day of action for the seven-time French champions. It is coach Huh’s opinion that Park needs to spend more time adjusting to his new club instead of flying back east. That doesn’t apply to Park Ji-sung’s of course. The Manchester United star scored in his first Premier League start of the season against Chelsea in September as he returned to fitness and then the team after a knee injury. That problem kept him out of South Korea’s opening World Cup qualification match against North Korea last month. After that 1-1 tie and the criticism that followed it, coach Huh was never going to leave leave Park in England. He arrived at Incheon airport on Monday. “It is right to say that Korean football is in crisis,” said Park, following the tradition of Korean overseas players returning home in strange headgear –a white bandage-style hat. Still, it was better than Seol Ki-hyeon's summer rice farmer look. “However, this is a good chance to move forward. I aim to help the national team get a good result. If we win against UAE, we can prepare for the other games more comfortably. We have to collect three points.” Crisis talk is premature but the game against UAE is not only must-win for the team; the coach’s future depends on it. A defeat will probably signal the end of Huh, who took the reins just before Christmas. A draw would cause problems and would put Korea on two points after two games – not a good start especially when one considers that the next tests are the toughest – trips to Iran and Saudi Arabia. These are not places where the Taeguk Warriors usually excel. Before all that however is a warm-up match against Uzbekistan on Saturday in Suwon. The Central Asians are en route to a crucial World Cup qualifier of their own in Japan. After two defeats in their opening two games, the Uzbeks need a good result in Saitama. That poor start cost coach Rauf Inilieev his job. That fact won’t be lost on Huh Jung-moo when the two teams take the pitch this weekend. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Lee Young-pyo is one of football’s true gentlemen. The versatile defender is leaving Tottenham Hotspur for Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund after three good years at White Hart Lane and all who knew him, as well as those who benefitted from some of his unreported good deeds he did off the pitch in London, will wish him well at the former European champions. He wasn’t bad on the pitch too, making 93 appearances for Spurs since his move to the Lane from PSV Eindhoven in August 2005. Then, Martin Jol called him ‘the best left-back in Holland, and one of the best left-backs in Europe.’ Lee didn’t quite prove to be that but his hard-working performances on an undermanned left side for Tottenham should be remembered fondly by fans at the Lane. Unlike Park Ji-sung, Lee actually started out in the K-League with the now-defunct Anyang Cheetahs. The Gyeonggi team lifted the 2000 Korean championship but Lee, who can play on either side of defence or midfield, had already made his first appearance for the national team in 1999 against Mexico in Seoul. It was at the 2002 World Cup where Lee came to prominence though he missed the first two matches of that magical run to the semi-finals. He soon made up for that and was energetic and inventive after coming into the team in the final group match against Portugal. If nothing else, he will be remembered for the cross that was headed in by Ahn Jung-hwan to eliminate Italy in the second round – a golden goal that still hurts in Italy but not so much as to prevent Roma trying their utmost to sign the player in August 2006. But we are getting ahead of ourselves... The committed Christian was confident, calm and composed in Korea and was always a likely candidate for a move west. There was little surprise then when Guus Hiddink took him to PSV Eindhoven at the end of 2002. It took Lee a little while to settle ( the words of then team-mate Marc Von Bommel have passed into Asian football folklore. The Dutchman said of the new recruits: “They are here, but that is all you can say about them. They have not made any progress. When you say something about some mistake they make, they smile and then continue making them. That is quite frustrating.”) though the addition of Park helped. Like Park, Lee soon demonstrated that he was not part of some marketing exercise and like Park, Lee shone in PSV’s run to the 2005 Champions League semi-finals,giving AC Milan’s Cafu a torrid time. As often happens in Holland, success brings the boys from the big leagues and soon Park was Manchester-bound. Lee was also eyeing a move across the North Sea and ended up in North London despite the best efforts of PSV and Hiddink to keep him. The first season was a good –though ultimately frustrating –one. Lee adapted quickly to life in Europe’s biggest city and the Premier League. Spurs spent much of the season in the top four before being squeezed out of a Champions League spot on the final day. Over that summer, Spurs were busy in the transfer market signing Benoit Assou-Ekotto. The Cameroonian started ahead of Lee and as the August transfer window started to shut, Roma came in for the player. Lee travelled to the Italian capital and looked likely to sign. He had, however, a last-minute change of heart. He has never explained the reasons for the u-turn, beyond saying that it was not about money, leading to a rash of rumours in his homeland that it was about religion. It was soon forgotten as Lee was back in the team and playing well but the arrival of Gareth Bale in the summer of 2007 was another competitor and with the departure of Martin Jol, Lee, like all players, had to wait to see how the expected Juande Ramos-revolution would play out. Lee kept his place in the team till the turn of the year but has featured little since. The expected return to PSV Eindhoven didn’t materialise and despite numerous reports in the Seoul media that the player was heading for a reunion with Jol at Hamburg, Lee surprised everyone by signing a one-year deal with Borussia Dortmund. The 1997 European champions were in the market for a left-back following the serious injury sustained by Brazilian star Dede in the recent 3-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen. Playing time shouldn’t be a problem at the club looking to return to the upper echelons of the Bundesliga after a number of, by Dortmund’s high standards, mediocre seasons Time on the pitch is paramount. Lee’s inaction put his place in the national team under threat for the first time in years. At the age of 31, the 2010 World Cup will be Lee’s last and the likes of Kim Chi-woo have already demonstrated that they have the talent and energy to take over the left side for the Taeguk Warriors. It is a little ironic then that Lee was omitted from the squad for next month’s World Cup qualifier against North Korea as the national team coach wanted to give him time to settle into his new team and new environment. It is all new and that is why the news is welcome. With Korean stars increasingly focused on England, it is refreshing to see Lee head for Germany. It is a step out of his comfort zone and into one of the best stadiums and best leagues in the world and perhaps back into the national team. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Football is non-stop these days. No sooner did the European club season finish then the European championships started for 16 nations. Now just days after Spain lifted the continental trophy most clubs have started pre-season training and talk in the big leagues is who will go where before the new season gets underway. What about South Korea’s overseas contingent? Well, it is a summer of uncertainty for many though that certainly can’t be said for perennial golden boy Park Ji-sung. Slight knee troubles apart, the 27 year-old is set for a good season in Manchester. It is only two months since the attacker collected a second English Premier League medal and less than that since the club lifted the European Champions League trophy. It was a successful season for Park and next season, providing he steers clear of injury could be even better. This time last year he was recovering from major knee surgery and still five months away from a return to action and the fact that United coach Sir Alex Ferguson was more than active in the transfer market didn’t help. This has been a quiet summer so far at Old Trafford though that could change very quickly if Real Madrid gets its way and buys star player Christiano Ronaldo for a world record transfer deal. There are likely to be few records broken elsewhere. Lee Young-pyo, who starred at PSV Eindhoven along Park from 2002-2005 is set to leave Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and return to the Dutch team. After two and a half steady, if unspectacular, seasons in North London, Lee fell out of favor with Spanish boss Juande Ramos around the turn of the year and had to watch much of the second half of the season from the bench. At the age of 31 and with his place in the national team under serious threat, Lee needs to be playing regular football and is keen to head back across the North Sea to PSV and the Netherlands. Probably on his way out of Holland is Lee Chun-soo. The winger signed for Feyenoord for around $3 million last August. It hasn’t been a successful season for ‘The Millenium Kid’ in Rotterdam. He first suffered from homesickness and then an ankle injury. He is now back in Korea recovering from surgery and he could be about to stay in the Land of the Morning Calm permanently -if any Korean club is prepared to offer the asking price. Seol Ki-hyeon is keen to stay where he is. The Sniper is still a Fulham player and later this month will tour South Korea with the London club. When the games in Busan and Ulsan are over, he could also be out of the door at Craven Cottage. The powerful attacker hasn’t featured in a league match since January and with boss Roy Hodgson set to splash the cash ahead of the new season, Seol has to show that he is still worth a spot in the starting eleven. He is ready to do just that as he told reporters at Incheon airport last week (looking like a psychedelic rice farmer). “There has been nothing happening, I have just been resting. The important thing from now is to play as well to stay with the team.” Lee Dong-guk is definitely on the move, the only question is to where? The Lion King’s contract at Premier League club Middlesbrough ended last month with the striker having failed to score a single league goal since arriving in England in January 2007. It was a time to forget for the former Pohang Steelers star who is also banned from the national team until the end of this year. Lee would like to stay in England but anywhere in Europe would be acceptable. Until now however, Japanese clubs are the most interested suitors. There are no such worries for the ‘fifth Premier Leaguer’ - as he is known by the Seoul media – yet.. Kim Do-heon is a relative newcomer and only joined West Brom on a full transfer in May. The midfielder first headed to England in January on a loan deal. He did enough to secure a permanent deal and the Birmingham club did enough to earn promotion to England’s top division. There is still much time left this summer for deals to done and contracts signed and it will be interesting to see where the Korean stars end up when the first ball is kicked at the start of the 2008-09 European season. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

The line between success and failure is a fine one, especially in the English Premier League, generally regarded as the world’s top football competition. In the case of South Korean striker Lee Dong-guk, that line was about as wide as a goalpost. The Lion King moved to Middlesbrough in January 2007. His debut came a month later against Reading. Lee was introduced as a substitute with around eight minutes remaining. Seven minutes later, England international winger Stewart Downing fired over a perfect cross from the left side. Lee was unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box and let fly with his right foot. He wasn’t the only one in the stadium to put his head in his hands after the ball bounced off the post and rolled agonizingly away. Though he wasn’t to know it at the time, that was the closest Lee was ever going to come to scoring a goal in the world’s richest league and things could have been a lot different. As it stands, the striker is about to be shipped out of England’s northeast. If there was any doubt about that, it was dispelled last week by head coach Gareth Southgate. "… He has not played as well as we might have hoped,” said the former England captain. “For him and for the team I think it's been better to involve other players really.” The softly-spoken Southgate has given the Korean ample opportunities to prove that he has what it takes. Eight starts and 15 substitute appearances may not be as much as the player wanted but in the modern high-pressure world of elite football where coaches can be fired after three or four poor results, it is more than many get. With Lee’s contract finishing in May; it is now time to move to another club though finding one in the Premier League could prove to be as fruitless as his attempts to find the net. The 29 year-old may have to look elsewhere. The player has already indicated that he has no desire to return to the K-League and former club Pohang Steelers. There will be possibilities however, there always are. Lee’s reputation has taken a bit of a battering in recent months but the striker has proven in the past that he can score against top-class international opposition such as Germany, Sweden and Mexico. Lee could be best served by moving to the mainland, perhaps the Netherlands. He may not be the only Korean heading south across the North Sea. Tottenham Hotspur’s Lee Young-pyo has played more Premier League games than any of his compatriots but has recently fallen out of favor at the London club. With time on the bench accumulating, it didn’t take the defender long to start thinking fondly of former club PSV Eindhoven, in the manner of a cheating husband who has realized that the grass on the other side of the fence may be green and glamorous but it quickly forgets those who don’t play on it. “ PSV are my team, I miss them a lot,” he said recently. For its part, the Dutch club is ready to forgive Lee who publicly demanded a transfer out of the southern Netherlands back in the summer of 2005. According to reports, PSV technical director Stan Valckx said recently: "He was a good player for us and will always be welcomed here. His contract does not expire until 2009, so it is still a long way to go. But if he wants to leave before then, then we are very interested." Of the remaining two players in England’s top league, Seol Ki-hyeon is also very likely to be on the move. The mercurial attacker hasn’t played for London club Fulham since January 19. Seol has flattered to deceive in England and his time there looks to be running out. It is not all doom and gloom because there is the small matter of Park Ji-sung at Manchester United. The 27 year-old has featured heavily in recent games for the club which is in touching distance of glory both in England and in Europe. Games don’t come much bigger than a European Champions league semi-final against Barcelona and Park is likely to play at least some part in both legs, the first of which takes place Wednesday evening in Spain. A proud Korean media is hardly daring to contemplate the possibility of the Park playing in the biggest club game in the world in Moscow at the end of May. Such an event would more than make up for the struggles of his three Premier League companions. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Alan Shearer spent over a decade at the top of the English Premier League goalscoring charts famously fuelled by a diet of chicken and baked beans. David Shin is just starting out much further down the league ladder but the 18 year-old shares something in common with the ex-England captain and the average UK citizen, who, according to the BBC eat more than 15 pounds of beans each year. “I like beans so much,” laughed Shin down the 'phone.

As the referee blew his whistle at the end of Saturday’s FA Cup final between Manchester United and Chelsea ended, he also called time on the 2006/07 English season.

It’s all gone wrong for FC Seoul. As world leagues go, the K may be a low-scoring one but no goals in the last 582 minutes is not what the club had in mind when seemingly defensive-minded coach Lee Jang-soo was jettisoned at the end of last season for the supposedly attacking Senol Gunes. In the middle of March however, Gunes was starting to think that the whole East Asia thing was a walk in the park. Not only did he steer Turkey to third place in at the 2002 World Cup, he won his first five games in South Korea without conceding a goal. Three of those games were in the league and not surprisingly, FC Seoul were top of the standings. March 18 seems like a long time ago but that was when the team last scored a K-League goal. Six games later – two defeats and four goalless draws- and only the ineptitude of others keeps the capital outfit in the relatively lofty position of fifth.

Ahn Returns It’s that time of the year again when it feels like half of the K-League is on the move. The close season in Korea is a frantic affair and at times hard to keep up with.