Korea to face Colombia in first game after Qatar World Cup

백지환 입력 2023. 2. 7. 15:10 수정 2023. 3. 23. 13:55
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Korea's first opponent after the 2022 Qatar World Cup will be Colombia, the Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Monday.
Son Heung-min, center, scores a goal in a friendly match against Colombia at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul on March. 26, 2019. [YONHAP]

Korea's first opponent after the 2022 Qatar World Cup will be Colombia, the Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Monday.

According to the KFA, Korea will face the South American side on March 24 on home soil, although the exact time and venue have not yet been confirmed.

The match against Colombia is an interesting fixture not only because it should mark the debut of Korea's as-yet-unannounced new manager, but also because it will be a chance for football fans to see how well the Taeguk Warriors can handle the South American side who they last faced in 2019 and beat 2-1.

Since the game is happening during the FIFA international break, overseas players including Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae will be available to play.

Lee Jae-sung of Mainz 05, who scored the winner against the Colombians in 2019, will also likely be included in the squad since he is in good shape in the Bundesliga this season, scoring four goals in 19 matches.

Colombia arrives in Korea after a quiet winter, having failed to qualify for the Qatar World Cup as they finished sixth out of 10 teams in the South America qualifiers. Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador were the four South American countries that qualified for Qatar.

Colombia is led by manager Nestor Lorenzo, who took charge of the team in 2022 after his predecessor Reinaldo Rueda was removed from the position for failing to qualify for the World Cup.

The match against Korea will be Lorenzo’s second game in charge after his debut against the United States ended 0-0 on Jan. 28.

The South American side’s squad will most likely include such key players as Luis Diaz of Liverpool and James Rodriguez of Olympiacos.

Korea has faced Colombia seven times and has recorded four wins, two draws and one loss.

After facing Korea on March 24, Colombia will head to Japan for game on March 28 in Osaka.

Korea will play a second international match on March 28 as well, but their opponent has not been announced yet.

Another South American country, possibly Uruguay, is likely to be the opponent in that second game, because European and African sides are scheduled to play continental tournament qualifiers in March.

Uruguayan media reported last month that Uruguay would visit Korea for a friendly in the coming month, although the KFA is yet to confirm the fixture.

The Uruguay clash would also be of particular interest to Korean fans, as it would be the first match between the two sides since they faced off at the World Cup last year.

Korea’s yet-to-be appointed manager will want to prove his potential by beating Uruguay after the Taeguk Warriors drew 0-0 with the South American side in Qatar.

Meanwhile, the KFA still has not announced who will be the next manager. Bosnian manager Vahid Halilhodzic, who beat Korea 4-2 with Algeria at the 2014 Brazil World Cup, is reportedly on the KFA’s radar.

Bosnian media Radio Sarajevo reported in January that Halilhodzic received a phone call from Korea and was offered a manager position.

The Bosnian manager, 70, has led multiple national teams, including Japan from 2015 to 2018 and Morocco from 2019 to 2022, although he did not manage either of them in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups due to being sacked ahead of the tournaments.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]

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