Bullish Korea to face U.A.E. in final World Cup qualifier

Son Heung-min celebrates after scoring Korea's first goal against Iran in a World Cup qualifier at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Thursday. [YONHAP]

The Korean national football team will take on the United Arab Emirates in the final qualifier for the 2022 Qatar World Cup on Tuesday in what should essentially be a victory lap for a squad that has remained undefeated throughout the third round of Asian qualifiers.

Korea enter the final game at Al-Maktoum Stadium in Dubai fresh off the back of a big 2-0 win against Iran last week that snapped an 11-year dry spell against Asia’s top-rated team.

That win not only took Korea — who, alongside Iran, have already qualified for the World Cup — to the top of Group A, but also offered a glimpse of just how good this Taeguk Warriors squad could be.

Head coach Paulo Bento once again opted for his favored 4-1-4-1 formation against Iran on Thursday at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul.

Unlike in previous matches, however, Korea were almost at full strength and Bento opted to play an unusually offensive lineup, not choosing to hold any of the big names back as fresh legs for the second half as he had done in previous qualifiers.

All five of Korea’s offensive line have European experience, with four of them — Hwang Ui-jo of Bordeaux, Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Lee Jae-sung of Mainz and Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur — still active in some of the top leagues in the world.

Kwon Chang-hoon rounds off the front five, and while he may now play for Gimcheon Sangmu in the K League, he increasingly looks more and more like the Bundesliga midfielder he used to be.

Veteran midfielder Jung Woo-young performed perfectly as the holding midfielder, seemingly everywhere at once and not afraid to get his hands dirty.

The back line was just as promising. Kim “The Monster” Min-jae was as reliable as a brick wall at center back, with Kim Jin-su and Kim Tae-hwan playing the entire length of the pitch on the wings. Kim Young-gwon rounded off the defense, proving as reliable as ever as he inches closer to joining the most-capped top 10 list.

Kim Seung-gyu put in another good performance between the posts, although Iran only really tested him one time.

That starting lineup may have been as close to perfect as the Taeguk Warriors squad gets and offers an exciting glimpse of what Korea could take to Qatar this winter.

The only really obvious absence was Hwang In-beom of Rubin Kazan, who is out with an injury. But even if Hwang was fit, it’s difficult to see who would be worth benching to add him to the lineup.

Both goals against Iran were the result of well-executed plays, not the lucky head in a crowded box that is so often the case in scrappy international games.

The first came from captain Son, who did exactly what he’s supposed to do. Goal No. 2 surprisingly game from Kim Young-gwon after a neat and well-controlled play between Hwang Hee-chan and Lee.

Bento may not choose to play such a robust lineup on Tuesday — the U.A.E. is significantly less of a threat than Iran — but it likely won’t matter. Korea have not only already qualified for the World Cup, but the team has now also proven to themselves and to their fans that they do have the potential to compete at a higher level.

There is still work to do. The Taeguk Warriors began to look like a comprehensive team against Iran, not just the 11 individuals that normally take to the pitch, but it wasn't perfect. Speaking after the game, Son picked up on the fact that they’re not quite there yet.

“I do not think our teamwork is perfect yet, but we spent a lot of time working together to make it perfect,” Son said. “I think we could win today thanks to each player’s sacrifice. I was grateful for all our players and staff.”

If Korea beat the U.A.E. on Tuesday, they will finish the qualifiers in first place in Group A. That doesn’t really impact the tournament — the top two teams advance — but it is a matter of pride and was the stated aim of the national team going into the final round.

Back-to-back wins against Iran and the U.A.E. will likely also push Korea’s world ranking up, which could affect the World Cup draw on Friday as teams will be placed in pots based on the ranking calculated on Thursday. In practice, this has little real meaning as the draw is still almost entirely luck, with the pots only serving to spread out the similarly ranked teams.

Korea will take on the U.A.E. in the final World Cup qualifier at Al-Maktoum Stadium in Dubai at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, or at 10:45 p.m. in Korea.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]