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Praying for a miracle

June 23, 2014

Koreans are hoping their prayers get answered on Thursday. (Korea Times file)

The Korean side still has a mathematical chance to reach the knockout stage.

An earlier 1-1 draw with Russia and the loss Sunday leave South Korea with one point, last among the four teams in Group H. South Korea will face Belgium in its must-win finale on Thursday in Sao Paulo.

Belgium has already qualified for the knockout stage with a 1-0 win over Russia earlier on Sunday. With six points in the bag, Belgian coach Marc Wilmots said he could rest some players with yellow cards in the finale.

It remains to be seen what kind of an impact Wilmots’ decision will have on South Korea’s fate in the tournament. And the South Koreans clearly didn’t help themselves much by losing to Algeria on Sunday.

Belgium currently leads Group H with six points, followed by Algeria with three, and Russia and South Korea with one point apiece.

Even if South Korea upsets Belgium, it will be eliminated if Algeria beats Russia.

If both South Korea and Russia win their final matches, they will be tied at four points and will go to a tiebreaker.

The first tiebreaker is the goal difference. Russia has a slight edge over South Korea, minus-1 to minus-2.

In case of a South Korean win, and a draw between Algeria and Russia, then South Korea and Algeria will go to a tiebreaker, even at four points. Algeria’s goal difference is plus-1.

If teams are still tied, the second tiebreaker is goals scored. Algeria has netted five goals so far, while South Korea has three and Russia has one goal.

Not only will South Korea have to beat Belgium, it will have to do so convincingly: a seemingly insurmountable task for a team reeling from a big loss.

Belgium has overcome a sluggish start to the tournament and remains the favorite to win Group H. The team boasts a handful of star players for top-flight European clubs, such as Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard and Manchester City’s defensive stalwart Vincent Kompany.

Wilmots has also worked magic with his substitutions. All three Belgian goals have been scored in the second-half by subs, including the winner over Russia by the 19-year-old Divock Origi.