Qatar v South Korea - 2014 Brazil World Cup Qualifier AFC 4R
Jun 8, 2012 The Test for Coach Choi Kang-hee
Coach Choi Kang-hee, who was effectively "forced" into the national team following the dismissal of Coach Cho Kwang-rae due to the "Lebanon Shock," secured advancement to the final (4th) qualifying round by winning the final match of the 3rd qualifying round against Kuwait 2-0, which was the biggest hurdle.
After the international break in March and April, Korea, having suffered a crushing 1-4 defeat in a sparring match against powerhouse Spain ahead of Euro 2012 on May 30, set out for the 4th World Cup qualifying round, a journey spanning one year. Their first opponent was an away match against Qatar.
Qatar, featuring naturalized Uruguayan Sebastian Soria at the helm and Halfan Ibrahim and Youssef Ahmed leading the attack, was embarking on massive investments after being selected as the host nation for the 2022 World Cup. A dark horse from the Middle East, a team traditionally specialized in defense followed by counterattacks, against whom Korea has struggled quite a bit in the past. The manager is Paulo Autori (then 56), a renowned Brazilian coach who has led teams in various regions including Brazil, Peru, Japan, Portugal, and the Middle East, having previously served as the head coach of the Peru national team.
With Lee Keun-ho, who was reviving his career at Ulsan Hyundai after the shock of being dropped from the 2010 World Cup squad, midfield commander Kim Doo-hyun, and "the second Park Ji-sung" Kim Bo-kyung dominating the midfield, veteran Lee Dong-gook takes charge of the front line.
Starting Lineup
Qatar (4-2-3-1):
1-Qassem Burhan;
8-Al-Hamad, 3-Mohamed Cazorla, 13-Ibrahim Majid, 19-Khalid Moufta;
4-Laurence Qaye, 7-Wessam Lizić;
15-Al-Blusi, 20-Youssef Ahmed, 10-Halfan Ibrahim;
23-Sebastian Soria.
Manager - Paulo Autori (Brazil)
South Korea (4-2-3-1):
1-Jung Sung-ryong;
2-Choi Hyo-jin, 5-Kwak Tae-hwi, 14-Lee Jung-soo, 6-Park Joo-ho;
13-Koo Ja-chul, 16-Ki Sung-yong;
9-Lee Keun-ho, 4-Kim Doo-hyun, 7-Kim Bo-kyung;
20-Lee Dong-gook.
Manager - Choi Kang-hee