North Korea hails 'fierce' fight in Brazil match
Defender Ji Yun-Nam celebrating after scoring for Korea. Brazil
won 2-1. AFP |
North Korea's official media Wednesday praised its team for a
"fierce" fight in their first World Cup match for 44 years,
complimenting the players for their dogged performance against Brazil.
The North Koreans "created scoring chances without losing faith
despite trailing 0-2" until Ji Yun-Nam scored a goal in the 88th minute,
the Korean Central News Agency said, just hours after the game ended in
Johannesburg.
"The match was a fierce exchange of offence and defence from the
beginning," it said. The impoverished communist state received the
toughest draw in this year's cup, landing in Group G with Brazil, Ivory
Coast and Portugal. But Tuesday's game between the highest-ranked and
the lowest-ranked team proved far from one-sided, with the North Koreans
putting up a dogged defence.
The North has been swept by World Cup fever, a pro-Pyongyang
newspaper reported this week, with people glued to television sets.
South Korean fans, whose own team got off to a flying start with a
2-0 victory over Greece, heaped praise on the North Koreans in Internet
postings.
"I'm shedding tears now. You fought so well," one wrote on Yahoo!
Korea.
"I am so proud of you. We are all Koreans," another post read.
A third commentator suggested that a unified Korean team could easily
advance to the quarterfinals and might even win the cup.
Japan-based North Korean striker Jong Tae Se, plus South Korean
striker Lee Chung-Yong and midfielder Park Ji-Sung, would form a dream
team, the commentator said.
"Jong Tae Se was so impressive today. He understands football," the
posting read.
The North's next game is against Portugal on Monday.
SEOUL, Wednesday, AFP |