S Korea football-coach

▲ Son Heung-min of South Korea (R) takes a shot past Mohammed Al-Attas of the United Arab Emirates during the teams' Group A match in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Nov. 11, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ South Korea head coach Paulo Bento (R) directs his players against the United Arab Emirates during the teams' Group A match in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Nov. 11, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ South Korean players salute the crowd after beating the United Arab Emirates 1-0 in the teams' Group A match in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Nov. 11, 2021. (Yonhap)

S Korea football-coach

Coach says fans 'should be proud of our players' after World Cup qualifying win

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Yonhap) -- Paulo Bento, head coach of the South Korean men's national football team, believes football is meant to be played with fans in the stands.

And his team finally performed in front of home supporters for their latest World Cup qualifier on Thursday, and beat the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 1-0. Just over 30,000 fans attended the contest at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, to set a record for the largest crowd for a sporting event in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though South Korea only managed one goal, they played a highly entertaining match with a slew of scoring chances that drew oohs and aahs.

And if Bento had been a spectator, he would have been a happy one himself.

"I'd like to thank all the fans that were here today to support our team. It was a good feeling, of course," Bento said. "I think that our fans enjoyed the game because the performance was good and the attitude (of our players) was good. I think fans should be proud of our players."

South Korea had 22 shot attempts to the UAE's four, and had a 6-1 edge in shots on target. They enjoyed a 60-40 edge in ball possession.

"I think we had a very good performance in all the moments of the game. We controlled and dominated from the beginning," Bento said. "I think that the victory is fair. The difference of the goals should have been bigger. We created a lot of chance to decide the game earlier."

For all the positive things that South Korea did, the lack of goal beyond Hwang Hee-chan's 36th-minute penalty is concerning. But Bento said the problem will solve itself.

"The media put the focus on the goals scored, instead of opportunities," he said. "People should see the way we play and the chances we created in many games. The goals will come if we keep having the opportunities that we've built in the past."


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