S. Korean defense exposed vs. Argentina in Olympic football prep match

That South Korea put up two goals against a clearly superior Argentina in an Olympic men’s tuneup match on Tuesday shouldn’t mask the team’s defensive woes.

Lee Dong-gyeong and Um Won-sang scored a goal apiece in a 2-2 draw against Argentina at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, 50 kilometers south of Seoul. It was the first of two prep matches for South Korea ahead of next week’s Tokyo Olympics, with France coming up next on Friday in Seoul.

Lee Dong-gyeong of South Korea (R) scores against Argentina in the teams’ Olympic men’s football tuneup match at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, 50 kilometers south of Seoul, on July 13, 2021. (Yonhap)

The first Argentine goal, by Alexis Mac Allister in the 12th minute, was the direct result of some jarringly poor play by South Koreans in their own end.

Midfielder Won Du-jae was stripped of the ball near the South Korean side of the center circle, with Adolfo Gaich doing the robbery. The forward briefly lost control of the ball as he neared the box, but defender Kim Jae-woo flicked the ball right to Mac Allister instead of clearing it out of harm’s way.

And inexplicably, Kim left Mac Allister alone, and the Brighton & Hove Albion obliged with a shot that easily beat goalkeeper Ahn Joon-soo.

Then with the score even at 1-1, centerback and captain Jeong Tae-wook almost handed Mac Allister another goal near the end of the fast half. His clearing attempt landed on the Argentine’s foot. It took a desperate kick save by Ahn to keep it a tie game.

Coach Kim didn’t mince any words when it came to his team’s defensive effort.

“When you look at plays that led to the goals we allowed, you can see that we could have avoided them,” Kim said. “I’ll go talk to our defenders about their problems.”

For the most part, South Korean players didn’t show up on time. Argentina flashed superior skills right out of the gate, while South Koreans struggled to connect on simple passes. South Korean ball carriers had no answer against Argentine pressure, and they had trouble finding safety valves early on.

Centerback Kim Min-jae, selected as one of three overage players for the under-24 Olympic team, can single-handedly solve many of South Korea’s defensive issues. Kim is considered one of Asia’s best at his position, someone who’s equally able to impose his will with physical play and to make smart passes out of his own zone to create attacking opportunities.

But Kim’s Olympic status is in limbo. His current deal with Beijing Guoan expires in December this year, and Kim has been linked to some European clubs of late, such as Juventus and FC Porto.

Because the Olympic tournament is outside FIFA’s jurisdiction, clubs aren’t obligated to release their players for the competition. Beijing have apparently maintained that they won’t let Kim play at the Olympics unless he can somehow land with another club during the offseason and get permission from his new team.

Recent reports claimed that Kim’s desire to represent South Korea in Tokyo has emerged as a sticking point in his talks with FC Porto, as the Portuguese club is also reluctant to let Kim play.

Coach Kim said the Korea Football Association (KFA) has been in “constant communication” with Beijing to secure Kim Min-jae’s release. The coach put the player on his roster on June 30, hoping that there’d be more clarity before the Olympics. Time doesn’t appear to be on South Korea’s side.

Kim Min-jae wasn’t even on the match roster Tuesday.

“Everyone is working hard to get Kim Min-jae on the board,” the coach said. “We’ll try our best until the very end.”

The coach still saw some positive takeaways from the match that South Korea probably should have lost.

“I think our players came away with a lot of confidence, having pushed a team as strong as Argentina,” Kim said. “If we can go into the Olympics with the belief that we can play against anybody, then we should be able to produce positive results.”