Gana Must Win Today to Reach the Round of 16

10 PM Ghana and Group H Second Match in Group Stage
Ghana's Full-Scale Offensive Expected... Coach Bento's 'Build-Up Football' Counterattack
Counterattack Utilizing Son Heung-min, Variable Is Kim Min-jae's Participation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

"The goal is to win. We will organize the team well to achieve the best result." Paulo Bento, head coach of the South Korea national football team, aims for their first victory at the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup. On the 28th at 10 PM (Korean time), they will play their second Group H match against Ghana at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.

South Korea is currently tied for second place in Group H (1 point, goal difference 0). They drew 0-0 in their first match against Uruguay. Despite setbacks such as Son Heung-min's (Tottenham) facial injury and Hwang Hee-chan's (Wolverhampton) hamstring injury, they secured 1 point. This was the result of maintaining a 'possession football' approach and playing offensively.

Although they overcame a major hurdle, it is too early to be complacent. Two matches remain. It would be problematic to repeat the pain of the 2014 Brazil tournament. At that time, the team drew 1-1 with Russia in the first Group H match. However, they lost 2-4 to Algeria in the second match, narrowing their path to the round of 16. They were eliminated after losing 0-1 to Belgium in the third match.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Starting with 1 point eight years ago, the team now faces Ghana, another African team like Algeria. Ghana lost 2-3 to Portugal and is at the bottom of the group (0 points, goal difference -1), but they are by no means an easy opponent. They advanced by defeating Nigeria in the African final qualifiers. Dual-nationality players such as I?aki Williams (Athletic Bilbao) and Tariq Lamptey (Brighton), who play in major European leagues, have also joined. Although there were concerns that this might disrupt team cohesion or atmosphere, coach Otto Addo showed confidence, saying, "There is no problem at all. We proved in the Portugal match that the players have already integrated well into our team. They adapted quickly and professionally, executing my plan well."

Ghana, having narrowly lost to Belgium by one point in their first match, announced a full-scale offensive like Algeria, who had put in all their effort. Coach Addo said, "All players are ready to play. Based on the lessons learned from the Portugal match, we will cooperate well in defense and create many scoring opportunities."

The South Korean team will counter with the 'build-up football' they have developed over four years. They plan to keep possession and patiently aim for goals through passing. Possession has become even more important than in the Uruguay match because Ghana's players have considerable individual skills. Forward Williams, Antoine Semenyo (Bristol), and Kamaldeen Sulemana (Stade Rennais) all possess both speed and sharp attacking power. Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Andr? Ayew (Al Sadd) brothers, Mohammed Kudus (Ajax), and Thomas Partey (Arsenal) can score whenever given the chance.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Coach Bento said, "Ghana has technically skilled players who are very fast. To control the game, we need to understand these aspects well. The most important thing is to play in our own style. We will be more positive while making the most of our chances." Regarding attacking tactics, he explained, "We will first observe whether Ghana uses a back four or back five, and then decide our response accordingly." Ghana abandoned the back four defensive formation they often used against Portugal and deployed a back five defensive line. This was a strategy to minimize weaknesses. Central defenders Mohammed Salisu (Southampton) and Daniel Amartey (Leicester City) both recently naturalized. Having not played together for a long time, they expose quite a few spaces.

Coach Bento plans to increase the activity range of Son Heung-min, who has regained his match fitness, to exploit these weaknesses. The absence of Hwang Hee-chan is expected to be filled by skillful and fast players like Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) and Jung Woo-young (Freiburg). Ghana conceded two goals from counterattacks in the Portugal match, excluding the first goal from a penalty kick. There were several instances where attackers were lost, leaving space behind the defensive line, and the defense failed to catch up after being breached. Similar threats increased in the second half when the defensive line was pushed up.

The team's concern lies more in defense than attack. The participation of Kim Min-jae (Napoli), who guards the center, is uncertain. His condition must be monitored until just before the match. Kim Min-jae injured his right calf after slipping while trying to stop Darwin N??ez (Liverpool) in the 18th minute of the second half against Uruguay. Although he has focused on recovery training, his condition is still not good. Ghana's attackers are all very focused near the goal. They scored two goals in the Portugal match despite sticking to seemingly simple attacking routes. They are aggressive enough to engage in strong physical battles, making Kim Min-jae's solid defense essential.

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