Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Togo made the Korean Republic sweat, but two spectacular goals gave Dick Advocat’s men the win in Group G, Tuesday.

In the first half the result looked like it might go Togo’s way; the team, on its debut appearance at the World Cup, had the better of a slow game and went into the break 0-1 up.

Passes were at walking speed in the Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt, as both sets of players seemed to struggle with the stifling heat. With the snow-roof closed for television conditions approached something like a sauna.

The goal for Otto Pfister’s side was scored by Kader on 31 minutes. Between two defenders, Kader took a ball delivered from the right wing, which he deflected into the penalty area with his thigh. Kader ran on to the ball and fired low across the keeper; it went in off the right post.

Mohamed Kader arguably was Togo’s outstanding player of the match and caused trouble for Korean Republic in the second half with his pacey runs.

But a second half substitution and a sending off favoured the 2002 tournament’s semi-finalists to stage a come back.

The Korean Republic upped the speed of their short passing game and when midfielder Ji Sung Park, 30 yards from goal, turned and beat Jean-Paul Abalo a chance for the equaliser looked on.

The Togolese defender hacked down the surging winger Park, who plays his club football for Manchester United. He was given a second booking and sent off. Issued by Graham Poll, this was the second red card of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The goal came direct from the freekick; on 54 minutes Chun Soo Lee used his right foot to send the ball with pace and bend beyond Kossi Agassa.

With the Korea Republic playing against 10 men the game opened up. But Togo, though it had just 36 per cent of ball possession in the game, was not a push over. The West African team mounted a number of dangerous counterattacks.

On 63 minutes the energetic Moustapha Salifou was in space on the edge of the area but could not keep his shot down.

Seven minutes later Dick Advocat’s half time substitute, veteran Jung Hwan Ahn, added another Korean example to the textbook of how to shoot from long range. Wider to the right than Chun Soo Lee’s the 30-year-old drove it over Agassa into the same right corner.

The Korea Republic came into the tournament on bad form, which included a 3-1 loss to Ghana. But to beat Togo Dick Advocat’s side had to improve during the match, which might give them confidence against France and Switzerland, also in Group G.