Vienna: Reeling from a humbling loss to Ivory Coast over the weekend, South Korea will look for a bounce-back performance against Austria this week in their next tune-up match ahead of the summer's FIFA World Cup. South Korea and Austria will meet for the very first time at Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday (local time), or 3:45 a.m. Wednesday (South Korean time).
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea, world No. 22, absorbed a 4-0 loss to 35th-ranked Ivory Coast near London on Saturday. They conceded goals to four different players and struck the goal post three times at the other end. South Korean defenders had difficulty keeping speedy and skilled Ivory Coast attackers in check, while their offense lacked flow in the absence of captain Son Heung-min and playmaking midfielder Lee Kang-in in the starting lineup.
Son, who has been under the weather since reporting to camp last week, and Lee, who picked up an ankle injury during a recent match for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), were both subbed on in the second half but failed to make an impact. Head coach Hong Myung-bo's team was dealt another injury blow Sunday, as Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder/wingback Jens Castrop was sent back to his German club due to an injury. He sprained his right ankle on March 21 during his last Bundesliga match before the national team camp and didn't play in the Ivory Coast match.
In Hong's back-three formation against Ivory Coast, South Korea's three center backs and two wingbacks were often stuck in the defensive third in the face of the opposition's pressing. Hong had emphasized the importance of quick transitions, but South Korean defenders failed to generate dangerous counterattack chances off Ivory Coast turnovers because they played too deep in their own zone and didn't have many passing options available.
Hong said after the loss that while going back to the back-four scheme may be the easy path to take, he will keep seeking ways to make improvements with the back-three setup.
No matter what the formation, South Korea will need a swift turnaround against 25th-ranked Austria, fresh off a 5-1 rout of Ghana on Friday. It will bear watching if both Son and Lee will have returned to full health for the Austria match. South Korea will need any help they can get on offense, even though Son has yet to score an open-play goal for Los Angeles Football Club this season and Lee has seen his role diminished in PSG's offense in recent weeks.
Austria will feature several players based in top European leagues, including Tottenham Hotspur center back Kevin Danso, FC Augsburg forward Michael Gregoritsch, and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer.
Another Borussia Dortmund player, Carney Chukwuemeka, marked his Austria debut with a goal against Ghana. He had previously played for England's junior national teams but switched international allegiance to Austria earlier this month.