Previous Encounters:
South Korea and Togo have never met before the Germany 2006 World Cup Finals.
The Match:
While many teams like to keep their starting team a secret, Togo went one better by
keeping the trainer a secret. Actually, the trainer kept it a secret from the team. The
'will he, won't he' issue of the Togo trainer was finally resolved at kick-off, as Otto
Pfister returned to the team.
The roof of the Frankfurt stadium was closed, to offer better
television images to the watching public around the world. Unfortunately for the players
and fans in the stadium though, without air-conditioning the place is like a sauna.
The hosts also scored an own-goal before the game kicked off by
playing the South Korean national anthem twice.
Togo got their first ever World Cup Finals match underway but it was
South Korea who made the first real attack; with Tottenham's full back, Young-Pyo Lee
eventually fouled on the left wing.
The midfield passing between the teams, in the first twenty minutes,
was rather careless; with long-balls also being over-hit. Nothing to test either
goalkeeper, until Eul-Yong Lee's free-kick from the right need two attempts by Kossi
Agassa to bring the ball under control.
Togo finally made up for all their bad preparations by taking the lead
through Kader Mohamed. Taking the ball on the outside of his right thigh, the Guingamp
forward skipped past Young-Chul Kim, glanced up briefly to see the positioning of the
Korean goalkeeper and released the ball low to Woon-Jae Lee's right; in off the far post.
Just before half-time, Togo almost doubled their led when Junior
Senaya's was tipped over the bar.
Korea had a couple of near chances to get on level terms before the
break but Togo's defenders held out. South Korea didn't really show the enthusiasm they
did on home soil at the last World Cup Finals in 2002.
Half-time: (0:1)
Togo's Junior Senaya bent down and kissed the Frankfurt turf before
the start of the second-half.
First-half goalscorer, Kader Mohamed, forced an early corner at the
start of the second-half.
Disaster for Togo as Jean-Paul Abalo, already on a yellow card, is
shown a red card then a yellow by a mixed up Graham Poll. Abalo seemed to have lost his
footing and then, as he was trying to get back on terms, clipped Ji-Sung Park on the edge
of the area.
Chun-Soo Lee curled the free-kick over the wall to bring South Korea
level.
Things went from bad to worse for Togo as Ludovic Assemoassa was
stretchered off, on the hour; leaving the Africans down to nine men, with South Korea
threatening to score.
Togo should have gone ahead after the substitution, when new man
Assimiou Toure provided an excellent cross from the right, into the South Korean penalty
area. The two Togolese strikers seemed shocked the ball reached them and the opportunity
to gain an advantage was lost.
With an extra man on the field, substitute Jung-Hwan Ahn turned the
game around; when his curled shot from outside the area couldn't be reached by the Togo
goalkeeper.
With ten minutes to go, South Korea were content to pass the ball
around; backwards. But they were caught out and Kader Mohamed almost made them pay.
Jae-Jin Cho bowed to the bench, then turned and bowed to the stadium;
when he was substituted seven minutes from time.
South Korea had a final free-kick in injury team but the ball was
passed short, then backwards; to jeers from the crowd.
Substitutions:
46 Mins (South Korea) - 9 Jung-Hwan Ahn on for 6 Jin-Kyu Kim
56 Mins (Togo) - 23 Assimiou Toure on for 18 Junior Senaya
62 Mins (Togo) - 13 Richmond Forson on for 19 Ludovic Assemoassa
68 Mins (South Korea) - 5 Nam-Il Kim on for 3 Eul-Yong Lee
83 Mins (South Korea) - 18 Sang-Sik Kim on for 19 Jae-Jin Cho
86 Mins (Togo) - 6 Yao Aziawonou on for 7 Moustapha Salifou
6 Yellow
Cards:
23 Mins - Jean-Paul Abalo (Togo)
24 Mins - Alaixys Romao (Togo)
41 Mins - Young-Chul Kim (South Korea)
51 Mins - Chun-Soo Lee (South Korea)
53 Mins - Jean-Paul Abalo (Togo)
92 Mins - Massamasso Tchangai (Togo)
