Bento's Tenacity in 'Build-up Football' Sends Chills Even to 14th-Ranked Uruguay in the World

Group Stage Opening Match Ends in Draw... High Activity Levels Pressure Opponent
Leading with 45% Possession in First Half, Ghana Expected to Employ Similar Strategy

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The South Korean national soccer team positioned itself as the 'underdog' on the World Cup main stage. They rarely took the initiative in matches. Each time, they prepared for games by assuming the opponent, who was a step above, would take control and responded accordingly. Coach Paulo Bento took a different approach. He pushed forward with the 'build-up soccer' style that he had invested four years in. They steadily aimed for goals through continuous ball possession and passing work.

Uruguay is ranked 14th by FIFA, higher than South Korea's 28th. They are evaluated as superior in skills, organization, and experience. Their midfield control, in particular, is considered world-class. Many soccer experts unanimously said that 'build-up soccer' would not work. Soccer fans also voiced criticism. Coach Bento was unfazed. He brought out the 4-1-4-1 formation, which he frequently used in friendly matches. Notably, he placed only one defensive midfielder, Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd), in that position. He displayed the attacking soccer style he always employed.

Persistence shone on the 24th at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar. The national team drew 0-0 against Uruguay in the first match of Group H in the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup group stage. They earned one point against world-class players such as Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Darwin N??ez (Liverpool), and Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This was the result of consistently aggressive gameplay. The players swiftly created attacking opportunities from the back, and when defending, they pressed the opponent with high activity across the front, midfield, and flanks. When the opponent's defensive backyard opened, they did not hesitate to make bold forward long passes. Midfielders like Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Na Sang-ho (Seoul) penetrated spaces to target behind the opponent's defense.

According to FIFA records, the team had a slight edge in the number of passes until halftime (239-224). They also led in possession with 45% to 42%. Using the traditional method of calculating possession by making the sum of both teams' possession equal to 100%, the possession rate was 50.3%. According to the football statistics company Opta, this is the highest first-half possession rate South Korea has recorded in World Cup finals history.

Coach Bento is expected to maintain an aggressive style of play in the second group stage match against Ghana at 10 p.m. (Korean time) on the 28th. Now that the players have gained confidence, their organization can become even stronger. Ghana is ranked 61st by FIFA, lower than South Korea. Their head-to-head record since 1983 is tied at 3 wins and 3 losses each.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The individual abilities of the players are formidable. Up front, I?aki Williams (Bilbao), Antoine Semenyo (Bristol), and Kamaldeen Sulemana (Stade Rennais) possess fierce attacking power. The presence of brothers Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace) and Andr? Ayew (Al Sadd) remains strong. Midfielders like Mohammed Kudus (Ajax) and Thomas Partey (Arsenal) also perform on the European stage.

Defense, which requires organization, is considered a weakness. Central defenders Mohammed Salisu and Daniel Amartey (Leicester City) both recently naturalized. They have never played in the African qualifiers for the World Cup. Since they have not had much time to build chemistry, they may expose spaces multiple times. In fact, Ghana lost concentration for a moment and allowed consecutive goals in their first group stage match against Portugal on this day.

The national team is expected to increase the activity range of Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who has sharpened his match fitness, to create various spaces. They also plan to increase the tactical utilization of individually skilled players like Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) and Jung Woo-young (Freiburg) to exploit the opponent's defensive weaknesses. Coach Bento said, "The content of the match against Uruguay was good, and our confidence is always the same," adding, "If we play the way we trained, there will be no problem at all."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.