Held back by sputtering offense, S. Korea unable to put ice on cake in World Cup qualifying round

▲ South Korean players acknowledge their fans at Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai on March 29, 2022, after losing to the United Arab Emirates 1-0 in the Group A match in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ In this AFP photo, Son Heung-min of South Korea (L) tries to dribble past Majed Hassan of the United Arab Emirates during the Group A match in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai on March 29, 2022. (Yonhap)

▲ In this AFP photo, Hwang Hee-chan of South Korea (R) is marked by Mohammed Abbas Baloushi of the United Arab Emirates during the teams' Group A match in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai on March 29, 2022. (Yonhap)

▲ In this Reuters photo, Hwang Ui-jo of South Korea (L) is tackled by Majed Hassan of the United Arab Emirates during the Group A match in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai on March 29, 2022. (Yonhap)

World Cup qualifying-S Korea

Held back by sputtering offense, S. Korea unable to put ice on cake in World Cup qualifying round

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, March 30 (Yonhap) -- Trying to wrap up their World Cup qualifying campaign with an undefeated record, South Korea instead ran into a wall put up by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai on Tuesday.

The Taeguk Warriors suffered a 1-0 loss to the home team in their last World Cup qualifier. With a ticket to the big tournament in Qatar this November already booked, South Korea were trying to put the icing on the cake with a victory. It would have also given South Korea the top seed in Group A.

The UAE foiled that bid at Al Maktoum Stadium, where forward Hareb Abdullah scored the winner in the 54th minute.

South Korea finished in second place in their group in the final Asian World Cup qualifying round, with 23 points on seven wins, two draws and one loss. They scored 13 goals and conceded three.

Iran, which defeated Lebanon 2-0 earlier Tuesday, won Group A with 25 points, thanks to eight wins, one draw and one loss.

Their lone defeat had come against South Korea in Seoul last Thursday. It was South Korea's first win over Iran in 11 years and pushed them to the top of the group at 23 points.

With Iran having already claimed their match Tuesday, South Korea had to beat the UAE to win the group. But the offense that had been methodical and opportunistic earlier in the qualifying phase failed the team.

The UAE, as they had done during their previous meeting in November, set up a low block in their own zone and tested South Korea's patience. The home side also looked for counterattack opportunities behind the South Korean defense, hoping to see some space open up as the South Koreans kept pushing for the match's first goal.

South Korea, despite their ball possession advantage, never solved the UAE defense. Their passes were often off the mark and were not nearly as crisp and sharp as in earlier matches. The UAE's effective pressure frustrated South Korea. As much as head coach Paulo Bento tried to hammer home the importance of finishing the qualifying round with a victory, his players appeared to lack the urgency of the more desperate UAE team.

By upsetting South Korea, the UAE successfully fended off Iraq for the third spot and set up a playoff match against No. 3 seed from Group B, Australia.

South Korea hit the crossbar twice in the loss, the first by forward Hwang Hee-chan in the 43rd minute. When the ball floated toward a spot outside the box following a UAE clearing attempt, Hwang tried to volley it home, only to see it hit the bottom of the bar and stay out of the net.

"The UAE played well and I thought they were well prepared," Hwang said in a televised interview after the match. "This was obviously not the result we wanted, but we have to accept it."

Hwang said he was still proud of the team for having qualified for the World Cup.

"The loss tonight doesn't change the fact that we've accomplished our goal of making it to the World Cup," Hwang added. "But in this loss, we were able to identify things we have to work on. We'll try to be better at the World Cup."

Because of injuries and COVID-19 infections, South Korea were missing a handful of midfielders who would have given the offense more life with their passing and offensive instincts.

The biggest missing piece was Hwang In-beom, who was sidelined with a broken toe. He had emerged as the national team's top playmaking midfielder. Two other midfielders with similar skill sets, Paik Seung-ho and Kim Jin-gyu, both tested positive for COVID-19 last week and could not make the trip to Dubai.

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