Lee Young-pyo's blueprint for the round of 32: 'Press South Africa's build-up weakness'

KBS analyst Lee Young-pyo has laid out his prescription for South Korea to beat South Africa and advance to the round of 32.

South Korea, coached by Hong Myung-bo, faces South Africa in their final Group A match Thursday at 10 a.m. Korea time.

The team heads into the match with a record of one win and one loss, having beaten the Czech Republic but fallen to Mexico. The result against South Africa will determine whether they advance to the knockout stage.

Lee, who is covering the team's matches on the ground in Mexico, identified South Africa's rapid attacking transitions as their primary strength.

"Their biggest strengths are running in behind using their pace and a direct, compact style of attack," he said.

At the same time, he said South Africa "have also shown problems with defensive line control and cover play between players."

"If South Korea can effectively cut off the runs in behind — their opponent's key weapon — and exploit the gaps in their defensive organization, they should be able to secure three points and reach the round of 32," he said.

Lee singled out South Africa's tendency to force build-up play from the back as their most exploitable weakness.

"From their very first match, they have repeatedly tried to build from the back even when outnumbered, made mistakes, lost the ball and ultimately conceded as a result," he said.

He added that pressing at the right moment when the opponent attempts to play out from the goalkeeper could force errors.

"That could create excellent chances — either winning the ball back or turning a turnover directly into a goal," he said.

Meanwhile, broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo will serve as commentator for the match, making his football broadcasting debut in the South Africa game. Jeon, born in 1977, will be pairing with Lee for the first time — the two share the same birth year.

“참교육 밖에 볼 게 없다” 말 나오더니…넷플릭스 천하 ‘균열’ 시작됐다, 점유율 1년 새 추락

https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10785565