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No easy opponent in Group H for South Korea

May 12, 2014

By Yoo Jee-ho / Yonhap

When South Korea drew Algeria, Belgium and Russia in Group H at the World Cup draw held in December in Brazil, you could almost hear sighs of relief by South Korean brass on the other side of the globe in Seoul.

After all, South Korea avoided Spain, the defending World Cup champ and world No. 1, among other European powerhouses, and also South American contenders such as Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

Yet to view Group H as an easy one for South Korea is to dismiss the quality of the three other teams in the pairing. Group H may be wider open than some other groups, but it will be far from a walk in the park for South Korea.

On paper, South Korea is actually the weakest link in the group. At No. 55, South Korea is the lowest-ranked nation in Group H. Belgium leads the pack at No. 12, while Russia is 18th and Algeria 25th.

South Korea will open the World Cup against Russia on June 17 in Cuiaba, and face Algeria on June 22 in Porto Alegre. The finale against Belgium will be on June 26 in Sao Paulo.

South Korea lost to Russia 2-1 in Dubai last November in their first-ever meeting. South Korea scored first before giving up two unanswered goals, even though the Russian side played only two starters.

Fabio Capello, head coach of England at the 2010 World Cup who won the 1994 UEFA Champions League with AC Milan, is now leading Russia, which will be playing in its first World Cup in 12 years.

Russia won Group F in the European qualification over the vaunted Portugal team, featuring Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo. Russia gave up only five goals in 10 qualification matches.

Throughout the qualification stage, Capello built his squad almost exclusively of players from a handful of the Russian Premier League clubs. The system has fostered cohesion and chemistry, in particular on defense.

Russia likes to establish its defensive presence in the early going before trying to capitalize on counterattacks.

On offense, Aleksandr Kerzhakov of Zenit St Petersburg has scored 24 goals in 78 international contests, including five of Russia’s 20 goals in the 10 European qualifiers. Dynamo Moscow’s Alexsandr Kokorin backed him up with four goals in the qualification.

Two CSKA Moscow centerbacks, Sergei Ignashevich and Aleksei Berezutski, saw most of the action on defense, in front of their club teammate, Igor Akinfeev, in goal.

Should South Korea drop the opener against Russia, then the match against Algeria will present a must-win situation.

Algeria will make its second consecutive World Cup appearance after squeezing past Burkina Faso in the African qualification. Algeria lost 3-2 on the road in the opening leg of their home-and-away third round meeting before winning 1-0 at home to advance on the away goals rule.

Algeria has been a study in contrast with Russia, having frequently altered its starting 11 through the regional qualifiers. Head coach Vahid Halilhodzic, former bench boss for Cote d’Ivoire, must restore order before the World Cup.

Islam Slimani of Sporting Lisbon should be among the biggest offensive threats, both literally and figuratively, for the 188-centimeter striker has nine goals in 18 matches, including five in seven World Cup qualifiers.

Sofiane Feghouli of Valencia is a playmaker who once drew favorable comparisons with the former French great Zinedine Zidane.

Belgium will be the final and likely the largest hurdle for South Korea. Belgium won Group A in the European qualifying with an undefeated record of eight wins and two draws, scoring 18 goals and giving up only four.

Belgium is playing in its first World Cup in a dozen years thanks to a slew of 20-something stars collectively called the “new golden generation” of Belgian football.

The impressive pool of talent will allow head coach Marc Wilmots to put together a starting lineup entirely of players from top division clubs in England, Spain, Germany and Italy.

Eden Hazard of Chelsea, 23, and Marouane Fellaini of Manchester United, 26, are two key players in the middle. Hazard, a dynamic playmaker, was recently named the Young Player of the Year in England.

Aston Villa forward Christian Benteke will miss the World Cup with an Achilles tendon injury, but Everton striker Romelu Lukaku should be more than able to fill the void.

Vincent Kompany of the Premier League champ Manchester City leads a stout defense corps, which also features an offensive-minded Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur.

Thibaut Courtois presents a strong last line of defense. The Atletico Madrid custodian has led his Spanish club to the final of the UEFA Champions League, and the 21-year-old played every minute in the European qualifiers, earning six clean sheets in 10 matches.

All in all, South Korea’s path to the round of 16 will be fraught with challenges, be they Russia’s suffocating defense or Belgium’s breathtaking offense.