South Korea beat Greece in Group B opener

PORT ELIZABETH - South Korea comfortably brushed aside Greece 2-0 in the World Cup Group B opening game here Saturday.

Captain Park Ji Sung was an inspiration for the team, driving it on from the midfield and scoring the second goal with a fine individual effort after a mistake by Loukas Vyntra.

One-third of the seats were empty in the Port Elizabeth stadium for the match.

South Korea were unbeaten in qualifying and there were no surprises in their line-up with the Manchester United midfielder alongside Celtic’s Ki Sung Yueng in midfield and Bolton striker Lee Chung Yong in attack.

Greek coach Otto Rehhagel was taking charge of the team for the 100th time but it was his first ever World Cup match and he handed Georgios Karagounis his 85th cap in midfield and surprisingly left out Liverpool defender Sotiris Kyrgiakos.

Celtic striker Georgios Samaras started up front alongside Angelos Charisteas but both were taken off in the second half after disappointing displays.

Greece had the first chance, forcing a corner on three minutes but Georgios Karagounis’s kick was put over the bar by Vassilios Torosidis.

South Korea soon got into their stride and they were ahead on seven minutes. Ki sent over a free-kick just in front of the corner flag and after the taking the slightest of touches off of Kostas Katsouranis’s head, Lee Jung Soo arrived unmarked to make it 1-0.

Greece forced a corner looking for a quick reply but Jung Sung Ryong palmed away from under his bar and immediately launched another quick South Korean counter-attack.

South Korea almost made it two but Torosidis tackled Lee Chung Yong just as he shaped to shoot and the New Zealand referee Michael Hester waved away appeals for a penalty.

On 28 minutes South Korea should have doubled their lead when Park Ji Sung split the Greek defence with a pass to Park Chu Young. The striker honed in on Alexandros Tzorvas but the keeper saved with his legs to concede the corner.

The Greeks were looking shaky at the back with keeper Tzorvas furious with his defenders who looked like conceding every time the opposition attacked.

Park Chu Young shot from distance with South Korea’s last chance of the first half and for Greece Theofanis Gekas almost took advantage after South Korean keeper Jung spilled a swerving long-shot from distance.

Eight minutes into the second half Park Ji Sung caught Loukas Vyntra napping on the ball and he raced clear to score a glorious second past Tzorvas who now had yet more reason to lambast his defence.

Greek coach Rehhagel had already made one change bringing on Christos Patsatzoglou for Giorgos Karagounis at the start of the second half but the second South Korean goal saw him use his last two changes.

Samaras was replaced by Dimitris Salpingidis and Pantelis Kapetanos came on for Angelos Charisteas.

That did little to wake up the Greeks and South Korea came close to scoring a third when on 64 minutes Cha Du Ri crossed and Park Chu-Young’s header was turned just over.

Rehhagel’s changes almost had their desired effect when first Kapetanos blazed over on 70 minutes and then fellow substitute Salpingidis also went close.

With four minutes left Tzorvas had to get down sharply to his left to save from Lee Chung Young as South Korea so nearly made Greece’s dismal start to the World Cup even more embarrassing.