World Cup 2006: Park says Korea will keep Asian flag flying

Korean pin-up Park Ji-sung has said that the 2002 semifinalists would strive to avoid the fate of Iran and Japan, both of whom stumbled to opening defeats in the FIFA World Cup 2006.

In an exclusive interview with www.the-afc.com, Park, who is expected to play a key role in the opener against Togo today here at the Frankfurt World Cup Stadium, asserted that Korea Republic would keep the Asian flag flying. SI am really sorry to hear about the downfall of the two Asian teams in the opening games though Japan lost to another Asian side, Australia. But we are ready for tomorrow”s game against Togo and you will be able to see the results of our hard preparation,?said Park, who plays for Manchester United.

SWe are fully aware of the expectations of our Asian fans. We will play a good game and make Asia proud like four years back when we made the semifinals,?said the 25-year-old midfielder.

In their quest for success in the opener against their African debutant rivals, coach Dick Advocaat and his men arrived early at the stadium today and did light training behind closed doors.

After the training session, Lee Young-pyo spoke to www.the-afc.com and revealed that the plan would be to improve coordination between the defenders and midfielders. SWe cannot repeat the mistakes of the friendly against Ghana when there was too much gap between the midfield and defence,?said the Tottenham defender, referring to the shock defeat suffered in the Scotland warm-up.

SWe have to be sharp and at out best on the day,?added Lee.

“We’ve trained so much that you’ll see no sign of the problems we had against Ghana. If we play the way we can, we’ll win comfortably.”

His teammate Cho Jae-jin exuded confidence that he would bag the prized role of target man ahead of Ahn Jung-hwan in the opening match. SI will prove my worth if asked to play,?said the Shimizu S Pulse striker. SI am mentally prepared for the tackles which are sure to come.?

Meanwhile, Otto Pfister, who quit as Togo coach last week over a pay dispute, has said he will return for the game.

By Steve Tae Kim (AFC)