The Hindu : Sport / Football : Saudi Arabia sitting pretty

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 18, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport - Football

Saudi Arabia sitting pretty

— Photo: AP

FRIENDLY RIVALRY: Bahrain captain Tala Yousef (left) will be looking to upset the plans of his Saudi Arabia counterpart Yasser Al Qatani when the teams meet on Wednesday.

BANGKOK: South Korea has one slim chance for redemption when it takes on Indonesia in their final Group D match of the Asian Cup on Wednesday. For co-host Indonesia, the stakes may be even higher.

South Korea, a 2002 World Cup semifinalst, has collected just one point from its opening two preliminary games in Jakarta and now sits at the bottom of Group D with one game remaining.

To reach the knockout stage, South Korea needs to beat Indonesia at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta and hope Bahrain and Saudi Arabia don’t draw in Sumatra in their final match held simultaneously.

Advantage Indonesia

A victory for Indonesia, which defeated Bahrain and lost to Saudi Arabia in its opening games, will send the team to its first Asian Cup quarterfinals. A draw will be sufficient if Bahrain loses.

Three-time Asian Cup winner Saudi Arabia, atop Group D on four points, is best placed to qualify, needing only a draw. Bahrain, which has three points, is looking for a win to ensure it goes through, but a tie would be enough if Indonesia does not beat South Korea.

Korea upbeat

South Korea’s Dutch-born coach Pim Verbeek, facing increasing criticism in Korea, remained upbeat about his team’s chances of advancing. “We have the target to win the Asian Cup, which means we have to win every game and we have to start tomorrow,” he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail