Jong's double secures draw for North Korea
Source: Agencies |
May 27, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
NORTH Korea forward Jong Tae-Se, dubbed the 'People's Wayne Rooney' by Asian media, scored twice for North Korea in a 2-2 draw with fellow World Cup finalists Greece in a friendly in Austria on Tuesday.
Greece twice took the lead but was pegged back by the impressive Japan-based frontman. Kostas Katsouranis' second-minute strike from close range after defender Sotiris Kyrgiakos headed a Giorgos Karagounis free-kick across goal gave Greece the perfect start.
But the Koreans, with their direct running and incisive passing making the pedestrian Greeks look embarrassingly one-dimensional, dominated the remainder of the half.
North Korea skipper Hong Yong-Jo twice rattled the crossbar and on 23 minutes Jong equalized with a superb long range effort that went in off the underside of the crossbar.
Greece's sole threat stemmed from its set pieces and after making five changes at halftime, it regained the lead through substitute Angelos Charisteas's volley from another Karagounis free-kick. But Jong showed his class with a clinical finish moments later, controlling a long ball, skipping past Nikos Spiropoulos and then firing powerfully past substitute goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas to level again.
Greece, which begins its Group B campaign against South Korea on June 12, struggled to make an impression in a disjointed display and coach Otto Rehhagel will be hoping for an improvement when it continues its preparations against Paraguay on June 2.
"I expect us to get better as things move on from here," he told reporters. "What I didn't like was that we were slow with our passing.
"They (North Korea) play a fast game and I expect us to play the ball more quickly and have more fluency. Our group opponents South Korea are a very good side and we must be ready for the start of the World Cup."
North Korea is in Group G with Brazil, Ivory Coast and Portugal.
Greece twice took the lead but was pegged back by the impressive Japan-based frontman. Kostas Katsouranis' second-minute strike from close range after defender Sotiris Kyrgiakos headed a Giorgos Karagounis free-kick across goal gave Greece the perfect start.
But the Koreans, with their direct running and incisive passing making the pedestrian Greeks look embarrassingly one-dimensional, dominated the remainder of the half.
North Korea skipper Hong Yong-Jo twice rattled the crossbar and on 23 minutes Jong equalized with a superb long range effort that went in off the underside of the crossbar.
Greece's sole threat stemmed from its set pieces and after making five changes at halftime, it regained the lead through substitute Angelos Charisteas's volley from another Karagounis free-kick. But Jong showed his class with a clinical finish moments later, controlling a long ball, skipping past Nikos Spiropoulos and then firing powerfully past substitute goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas to level again.
Greece, which begins its Group B campaign against South Korea on June 12, struggled to make an impression in a disjointed display and coach Otto Rehhagel will be hoping for an improvement when it continues its preparations against Paraguay on June 2.
"I expect us to get better as things move on from here," he told reporters. "What I didn't like was that we were slow with our passing.
"They (North Korea) play a fast game and I expect us to play the ball more quickly and have more fluency. Our group opponents South Korea are a very good side and we must be ready for the start of the World Cup."
North Korea is in Group G with Brazil, Ivory Coast and Portugal.
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