K League top scorer Cho Gue-sung is ready to give it his all in Qatar

Football

Published: 20 Nov. 2022, 15:58 Updated: 21 Nov. 2022, 16:06

K League top scorer Cho Gue-sung is ready to give it his all in Qatar

Cho Gue-sung talks to reporters in Doha, Qatar on Saturday. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Forward Cho Gue-sung and midfielder Na Sang-ho are hoping to get their first taste of some World Cup action in just four days time, when Korea take on Uruguay in their first game of the 2022 tournament.

Whether either player will actually get the chance to step on to the pitch at Education City Stadium in Doha on Thursday depends largely on how head coach Paulo Bento chooses to play things. While both players have picked up some national team caps recently, neither are the regular pick for their positions.

Bento tends to opt for a single striker out in front of a more robust attacking midfield. If the Portuguese manager does the same thing on Thursday, he will likely chose either Cho or Hwang Ui-jo.

While it will be the first World Cup for both Cho and Hwang, in terms of national team caps, Hwang is the more tried and tested forward, having been a regular national team pick in recent years.

Compared to Hwang’s 49 appearances and 16 goals for the national team since 2015, Cho only made his debut last September during a World Cup qualifier against Lebanon. However, while that was a scrappy game for the Taeguk Warriors, Cho was able to prove himself in his debut, scoring the sole goal of the match. Cho has since made 16 appearances for the Taeguk Warriors and scored a total of four goals.

Cho has also been playing some incredible football in the domestic league this season. Cho scored 17 goals and marked five assists in his 31 matches this season, becoming the highest scorer. He was named the FA Cup MVP after scoring three of the eight goals in both legs of the FA Cup finals.

For Hwang, despite being the more seasoned striker for the Taeguk Warriors, his seat in the starting 11 does not seem as secure as he joins the national team after spending a rough season with his new Greek club, Olympiacos.

After making a slow start to his career in Greece, not only is Hwang yet to score in his last 11 matches, the striker has been entirely excluded from the Olympiacos squad for the last five Super League games, and has only played more than 11 minutes in three league matches this season.

In the Europa League he has seen more success, appearing in every game this season until Olympiacos was knocked out.

Hwang Ui-jo, left, trains with teammate Cho Gue-sung at Al Egla Training Facility in Doha, Qatar on Saturday. [YONHAP]

Even if Bento is likely to pick just one player between Hwang and Cho, the younger Taeguk Warrior said in a press conference in Doha, Qatar on Saturday that he does not see it as a competition.

“We are comfortable with each other in and out of the field,” said Cho about Hwang. “I don’t consider us as rivals. We are a team. I actually think that I rely on him because we play the same position. Even when he makes mistakes, I tell him that he is the best. I try to cheer him on, he tries to cheer me on and I think we make a good team.”

With Son Heung-min still recovering from a fracture around his left eye, the forward may have to do more of the heavy lifting for the team in terms of offense.

“If I do get to play, I want to be useful for the team,” said Cho. “Kim Jin-su jokingly told me that if I play, I will need to run around 14 kilometers as Son Heung-min will be doing only around seven kilometers. He said it jokingly, but I really do want to focus on what I can do for the team if I get to play.”

Na Sang-ho, left, trains with teammates Son Heung-min, center, and Hwang In-beom at Al Egla Training Facility in Doha, Qatar on Saturday. [YONHAP]

Na Sang-ho talks to reporters in Doha, Qatar on Saturday. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Alongside Cho, midfielder Na will also be looking to debut at the World Cup. While Cho was called up for the squad in the middle of a successful year, Na has had a fairly lackluster season for FC Seoul.

After a difficult season, FC Seoul managed to squeeze into the ninth spot on the table and narrowly escape the K league relegation playoffs this year. In addition to a disappointing league performance, the Seoul club reached the FA Cup finals only to be outplayed by Jeonbuk in the end. They were robbed of their chance to win their third-ever trophy. Na scored nine goals and marked two assists in his 39 appearances.

"I think that criticism is part of being a professional footballer,” said Na on Saturday. “I am not proud of it and it pushes me to work hard. I think it’s most important to play well and I really want to show all that I have prepared at the World Cup. I want bring positive results and to think positively of my play as well.”

Korea is facing an uphill battle against Uruguay on Thursday, as they are ranked at No. 14 while Korea remains at No. 28 on the FIFA world rankings.

“I think we are communicating well as a team,” said Na. “In terms of teamwork, will and mentality, I think we are doing really well. We trust each other on the field and have good teamwork.”

Korea will take on Uruguay, Ghana and Portugal in Group H. The opening Group H match is between Uruguay and Korea at 4 p.m. on Thursday at Education City Stadium in Qatar and will be broadcast live in Korea at 10 p.m.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]