South Korea are on the brink of making another World Cup finals appearance after scraping a 1-0 victory over Uzbekistan in a top-of-the-table qualifying clash in rainy Seoul on Tuesday.
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An entertaining match was settled by an own goal from Akmal Shorakhmedov just before halftime, the Uzbek defender heading Kim Young-gwon's cross from the right past his helpless goalkeeper.
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The Koreans now have 14 points from seven matches in Group A of Asian qualifying, three clear of the Uzbeks with Iran on 10 from six games with only the top two guaranteed a place at Brazil 2014.
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Iran host Lebanon later on Tuesday and a shock defeat for the home side would mean Korea qualifying ahead of their final fixture against Carlos Queiroz's side in Ulsan next week.
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The Koreans need only a point against Iran to qualify but their strong goal difference means even a 1-0 defeat against the West Asians is likely to be enough unless the Uzbeks can score a six goal win over Qatar in their final fixture, also on Tuesday.
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"Tonight's match was the greatest roadblock in our way to the World Cup and we managed to overcome it," South Korea coach Choi Kang-hee told reporters.
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"We can prepare the match against Iran feeling less burdened. But still, we will do our best."
I trust Korea to always qualify for the world cup. They always have a strong squad to do the job for them.