[Newsmaker] France battles past England as Morocco makes World Cup history

DOHA, Qatar -- Defending champion France edged past England 2-1 on Saturday as Harry Kane missed a late penalty in the World Cup quarterfinals, after Morocco became the first African team ever to reach the last four. France will face the surprising North Africans in a semifinal on Wednesday, earning their place when Olivier Giroud's header proved the difference at Al Bayt Stadium. In a tense match, Aurelien Tchouameni's strike opened the scoring with 17 minutes gone, but Kane brought England lev

Dec. 11, 2022

[World Cup] Departing coach Bento thanks players for trust in his system

Paulo Bento will soon be leaving South Korea after concluding a mostly successful four-year tenure with the country's men's national football team. But South Korea will always be in his heart, the Portuguese tactician said Wednesday. Bento and his players returned home Wednesday evening after competing in the round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar this week. They lost to Brazil 4-1 in South Korea's first knockout appearance in 12 years and their third overall. Following the loss, Bento an

Dec. 7, 2022

[Photo News] S. Korean World Cup players return home

Captain Son Heung-min and 22 other players from the 26-man squad, together with the coaching staff including the head coach Palo Bento, pose for a photo at Incheon International Airport, Wednesday evening, after returning from Qatar. At the ongoing World Cup in Qatar, South Korea reached the round of 16. (Lim Se-jun/The Korea Herald) Captain Song Heung-min, speaks during the welcoming ceremony held for South Korean World Cup players on Wednesday at Incheon International

Dec. 7, 2022

[World Cup] Yoon to host dinner for nat'l football team

President Yoon Suk-yeol will host a dinner for the national football team this week after they return from the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, his office said Wednesday. The dinner was apparently fixed for Thursday after the presidential office reached out to each player and staff member to ask for their opinion. The office had said earlier that it was hoping to host a luncheon with the team as early as Thursday. South Korea reached the round of 16 for the first time in 12 years after a dramatic victor

Dec. 7, 2022

[Newsmaker] [From the Scene] World Cup fever in S. Korea ends on a bittersweet note

Around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, with still an hour to go for the kickoff, Gwanghwamun Plaza in Seoul was already packed with soccer fans. Across the square were flashes of red, emitted from the LED headbands that symbolize the Red Devils, the official supporters club for the South Korean national soccer team. Many said they wouldn't miss watching South Korea take on the top-ranked Brazil in the country’s third Round of 16 match ever on World Cup stages. “I’ll be there once my shift e

Dec. 6, 2022

South Korea handily defeated by Brazil

South Korea went down in the Round of 16 match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 against Brazil, as the top-ranked team in the world easily beat the underdogs 4-1 at the match held at the Stadium 974 in Doha on Tuesday, Korean Time. Widely considered favorites to win at all, the Canary Squad proved to be too much for the Koreans to handle. The game ended up being a landslide after Vinicius Junior scored the first goal seven-minutes into the match, followed by goals from Neymar,Richarlison and

Dec. 6, 2022

At 4 a.m., Red Devils will be out in Gwanghwamun for Korea vs. Brazil match

Red Devils, the South Korean national soccer team’s official supporters club, will take to the streets of Gwanghwamun Plaza to cheer for their team against the perennial powerhouse Brazil in the Round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday gave the go-ahead to the Red Devils' request to use the square to broadcast the game. Tens of thousands of fans are expected to gather at the square in central Seoul, as the public screening event amassed

Dec. 5, 2022

[World Cup] From kiss on the wrist to fake camera: special goal celebrations of Korean players

After the game-winning goal that carried South Korea to a victory over Portugal in the Group H finale of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Hwang Hee-chan laid a kiss on his left wrist before the play commenced. This was a tribute to his grandparents, who raised him as a child and whose names are tattooed on his wrist. Hwang had once said in an interview that his grandparents were “everything in his life,” that they were the first people that pop up in his mind whenever he makes a goal.

Dec. 5, 2022

[World Cup] Out-of-place ‘Messi!’ chants sum up Koreans’ beef with Ronaldo

During the Group H finale of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 between South Korea and Portugal on Saturday, Korean time, Korean fans at the stadium started shouting “Messi! Messi!” when the Portuguese team’s captain Cristiano Ronaldo got the ball. The support seemed random, as the Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi was not on the field of the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar: his team was not even in the same group and had clinched its spot in the top 16 two days earlier

Dec. 4, 2022

[Newsmaker] [World Cup] Strong against the strong? S. Korea’s history of upsetting contenders

The results by the South Korean national team in Group H of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 have followed a peculiar pattern: It defeated the group-winner Portugal in the finale, tied with the next highest-ranked Uruguay 0-0, and was beaten by the lowest-ranked Ghana 3-2. Would the pattern continue when the Taegeuk Warriors play against the five-time World Cup champion Brazil at 10 p.m. Monday, or 4 a.m. Tuesday in Korea? The Korean team has indeed shown in the past -- mostly during the Koreans�

Dec. 4, 2022

[World Cup] Will Brazil end S. Korea's miracle run? The odds stacked against Koreans

Prior to the Group H finale between South Korea and Portugal, the odds of the Taegeuk Warriors reaching the top 16 seemed slim to a near-comical level. Now after the Koreans have done the improbable, fans are waiting to see if they can keep on their miracle run in the next match against Brazil at the round of 16. The odds are stacked against South Korea as high as ever; Brazil currently sits at the top of the FIFA ranking and has won the World Cup five times in the past -- more than any other na

Dec. 4, 2022

[World Cup] S. Korea resting, Brazil training behind closed doors ahead of knockout meeting

DOHA -- South Korea and Brazil, knockout round opponents at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, are keeping a low profile on Saturday, two days before their showdown in Qatar. South Korea, moments after qualifying for the round of 16 with a 2-1 victory over Portugal Friday evening, announced they would have a rest day on Saturday. It is South Korea's second off day since their training camp opened in Doha on Nov. 14. The Taegeuk Warriors also did not train on Nov. 20, the opening day of the competi

Dec. 4, 2022

[Photo News] Unforgettable World Cup moments

Dec. 3, 2022

S. Korea one win away from history in Qatar

South Korea are playing in their 10th consecutive FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and it's a record streak for a country without the ultimate championship trophy in football. It will be a tough task for South Korea to lift the trophy this year, but they are now just a win away from a small piece of their national football history. If South Korea beat world No. 1 Brazil in the round of 16 on Monday, they will reach the quarterfinals for the first time at an away World Cup. This is South Korea

Dec. 3, 2022

S. Korea looking to extend unexpected run vs. top-ranked Brazil

Having beaten steep odds to reach the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, South Korea will be playing with house money when they take on Brazil in the round of 16 on Monday. The win-or-go home match between 28th-ranked South Korea and world No. 1 Brazil kicks off at 10 p.m. Monday at Stadium 974 in Doha, or 4 a.m. Tuesday in South Korea. Few pundits expected South Korea to come this far, especially not after they opened the competition with a goalless draw against Uruguay and a 3-

Dec. 3, 2022

South Korea beats the odds to advance to knockout stage

South Korea pulled off a 2-1 upset against powerhouse Portugal on Saturday, Korean time and, despite Uruguay’s 2-0 defeat over Ghana, achieved an improbable feat of making the knockout stage. It is the Taeguk Warriors’ first trip to the knockout stage since 2010. This marks the third time in the nation’s history that South Korea has made it to the final 16. Portugal, despite the loss to the underdog, advanced to the next round. Two other teams in the Group H, Uruguay and Ghana

Dec. 3, 2022

[Graphic News] What must happen for South Korea to stay in World Cup?

South Korea will play Portugal for its final match of Group H in the World Cup on Saturday (Korean time), at the same time as Ghana and Uruguay. Here is a look at what needs to happen for South Korea to reach the next round. - If two teams have the same number of points, the top team is decided by the following criteria, in order: goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head result, and "fair play" - the teams' disciplinary records. If this does not separate them, the FIFA organizi

Dec. 2, 2022

[World Cup] Defender determined to stop Portugal with collective effort

South Korean defender Kim Young-gwon said Thursday he is not daunted by the prospect of facing Cristiano Ronaldo and other highly-skilled Portuguese players at the FIFA World Cup this week, believing a collective effort should get the job done against the European powers. Kim and South Korea will face Portugal in the final Group H match Friday at Education City Stadium. It's a must-win proposition for South Korea, who also must get help from the other Group H match on the same day between U

Dec. 1, 2022

[World Cup] ‘Again 2002’ is on fans' minds as South Korea faces Portugal in do-or-die match

South Korea’s heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Ghana in the Group H match of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on Monday has put the team in a bit of a pickle. It now faces Portugal, the only undefeated team in the group, in a do-or-die match. South Korean fans are hoping history would repeat itself in the upcoming Group H match: In the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan, South Korea defeated the heavily favored Portugal squad in the final group stage match. The situation was similar, albeit not exactly the

Nov. 30, 2022

[Newsmaker] [World Cup] Will Cho Gue-sung get a big World Cup transfer?

Despite the eventual loss, Monday’s match against Ghana has produced some bright spots for struggling South Korea in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. One of them is the rediscovery of Cho Gue-sung. He scored two goals against the Black Stars during his team’s 2-3 loss, marking the first time a Korean has ever scored more than once in a single World Cup match. The 24-year-old K-League player’s stellar performance in his first World Cup start appears to be drawing the attention of te

Nov. 30, 2022