Red Devils World Cup Matches
Last updated: Thursday 25 June 1998
Mail to : marc.delperdange@student.kuleuven.ac.be
Thursday 25 June :
Belgium - South Korea
1 - 1
6th min : 1-0 Nilis
72nd min : 1-1 Yoo
Stadium Parc des Princes in Paris
Attendants : 47.000
Referee : M. de Freitas (Brazil)
yellow cards : Borkelmans (B), M.S.Lee (K), L.S.Lee(K), B.J.Kim (K), T.Y.Kim (K)
red cards : /
Starting line-ups :
BELGIUM :
Nilis - Oliveira
Van Kerckhoven - Clement - Scifo - Wilmots
Borkelmans - Vidovic - Staelens - Deflandre
Van de Walle
Substitutions :
46th min : Oliveira > M. Mpenza
65th min : Scifo > Van der Elst
72th min : Clement > L. Mpenza
SOUTH KOREA :
Seo - Y.S.Choi
Yoo - D.K.Kim - S.Y.Choi - Ha
T.Y.Kim - Hong - S.H.Lee - M.S.Lee
B.J.Kim
Substitutions :
46th min : S.Y.Choi > L.S.Lee
46th min : D.K.Kim > Ko
66th min : S.H.Lee > Jang
Match Report
The Belgian team that started against South Korea had been changed on 3 positions compared to the one against Mexico.
Van Kerckhoven, Clement and Van de Walle took the places of the injured Boffin, Van der Elst and De Wilde.
So the attackers, who received a lot of criticism after their first 2 matches, still started the match.
Nilis and Oliveira didn't really play very well against the Netherlands and Mexico,
and there were some rumours that they would be replaced by the 2 Mpenza's.
But coach Georges Leekens kept his confidence in Nilis and Oliveira.
Belgium had to win in this match, and they started very good.
They built their attacks with very nice combinations.
After 5 minutes there was a very powerful shot of Enzo Scifo,
and Kim could only just push the ball into corner.
But a few minutes later, the first goal for Belgium was there :
a header of Vidovic was blocked, but the ball then fell on the shoe of Luc Nilis.
And that is something that you don't have to let him do.
The shot of Nilis went into the goal, and Belgium had a dream-start against South Korea.
And Belgium went on for a few minutes with some more nice attacks :
Nilis was able to get passed his man and centered to Scifo,
but he couldn't really reach the ball to head it into the goal.
After the quick start of Belgium, the match was getting slower.
The Koreans also had a few chances of their fast strikers Seo and Choi.
And Belgium did have some luck when the linesman flagged a few times for off-side.
There were not a lot of chances anymore.
The last chance before half-time was for Ha, but his shot went over the goal of Van de Walle.
In the second half-time it was Mbo Mpenza who came in the place of Oliveira,
who was again not playing very well.
But it was Van de Walle who had to make his first real save of the match :
Lee got away behind Staelens, but Van de Walle stopped the ball.
After 5 minutes in the second half, the decision could have been there :
A very good playing Nilis again got away from his opponent, but his shot hit the bar !
A few minutes later, Wilmots and Nilis got through 2 against 1,
but they couldn't score either.
Belgium was throwing away their chances, and everybody knew this couldn't go on like that.
And what everybody feared happened 20 minutes before the end of the match :
captain Yoo was able to score after a free-kick for Korea : 1-1.
Leekens immediately reacted and put Lokonda Emile Mpenza on the field as 3rd attacker.
But the problem was that Scifo was replaced minutes before by Van der Elst (not injured ?) to speculate on the 1-0 lead.
And Belgium didn't really create any chances anymore.
The attacks were not built up carefully, and everything was rushed.
Choi even almost scored the winning goal for Korea.
So the match ended on a 1-1 draw which was not enough for Belgium to qualifie for the second round.
And even a 2-1 win wouldn't have been enough, because Mexico scored the equalizer against the Netherlands in the last minute of their match : 2-2.
Home again, after a world cup which did not really bring what everybody in Belgium had expected.
image1 : Belgium doesn't get past South Korea.
image2 : Van der Elst and Nilis .......... Belgium is out.
Mail to : marc.delperdange@student.kuleuven.ac.be
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