Soccer team edges closer to Olympics
South Koreans can keep dreaming of an Olympic medal as the national squad beat Uzbekistan 2-0 on Wednesday night, remaining on top of its qualifying group for next year’s Beijing Olympics.Han Dong-won was the star of the game. He gave his country a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute of the first half. Taking a cross from teammate Lee Keun-ho, Han headed the ball home. With only six minutes left in regulation time, Han scored as he volleyed a deflection into the net.
Speaking to reporters after the match, coach Pim Verbeek expressed satisfaction with his team’s play. “Currently, our goal is qualification [for the final round], and my team is playing better and better with each match,” he said. Three more matches remain for the South Koreans to play in group G.
The South Korean team is scheduled to travel to Uzbekistan for a rematch on April 18. Then it will face off against Yemen on May 16. The final match of the second round of preliminaries will be at home against the United Arab Emirates on June 6.
The top two teams from each of the six groups in the second round of qualification rounds advance to the final round of qualifications, where 12 teams will be divided into three groups. The winners of each group in the final round will earn a ticket to the final round of 16 teams at the Olympic Games next year.
By Brian Lee Staff Writer [africanu@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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