SOUTH KOREA, URUGUAY IN ENTERTAINING STALEMATE
Uruguayans twice denied by the woodwork, as neither of the two teams managed a shot on target
Uruguay faltered in their World Cup opener against a lively and energetic South Korea after they were held to a 0-0 draw yesterday in a contest where both teams struggled to find the clinical edge despite plenty of attacking quality on show.
Clear-cut chances were rare for either side in the Group H clash at the Education City Stadium and although Uruguay created more opportunities, neither team managed a shot on target.
There were only a few hundred South Korean supporters in attendance but they made enough noise to drown out Al Rayyan and were chanting away throughout the contest, the beat of their drums matching the fast and frenetic pace of play.
Brave team
“We’re a very brave team, we’re not afraid of our opponents,” South Korea coach Paulo Bento told reporters.
“The bottom line is we need to control all moments of the game, knowing we’re in a different competition to our qualifiers. But this won’t hold us back from what we intend to do. And we showed today we’re capable.”
Uruguay coach Diego Alonso, meanwhile, believes his team’s World Cup group will go down to the wire in next week’s final matches, emerging positive from the goalless but entertaining opening draw that featured flashes of flair.
Alonso was happy with the point against a spirited South Korean side who took the game to Uruguay before the South Americans found their rhythm and threatened with creative moves and precision passing in an end-to-end Group H match.
Veteran captain Diego Godin, playing in his fourth World Cup at 36, produced a strong performance at the back and came close to scoring when his firsthalf header hit the woodwork and Federico Valverde struck the post in final minutes.
“It as a tight game between two competitive nations. First 20 minutes was South Korea, we struggled, we couldn’t take the ball from them but we could adjust,” Alonso told reporters.