South Korea v Germany: Champions to make the most of second chance

After narrow defeats to Mexico and Sweden, South Korea trainer Shin Tae-yong summed up his team’s situation neatly, describing them as”a drowning man clutching at a straw.” The late heroics of Germany’s Toni Kroos against Sweden spared Shin’s side the ignominy of elimination with a match to spare, but only a win on Wednesday afternoon and a victory for Mexico against Sweden provides them any prospect of advancement. Although South Korea are aggressive in the tackle and willing to pay lots of ground, they’ve struggled to create any attacking momentum. A stunning late strike from a mostly isolated Son Heung-min against Mexico has been the sum total of their offensive efforts up to now, and they did not even manage a shot on goal within their Group F opener from Sweden. Opta inform us that South Korea have lost their past four games at World Cup finals, equalling their worst ever sequence. Additionally, it is worth noting they have lost their last two World Cup games from Germany, a set match in 1994 and also the semi-final in 2002. South Korea’s cause will not be helped by the loss of skipper Ki Sung-yeung to injury, and Park Joo-ho that was full-back is sidelined. Shin must find a way to get Tottenham forward Son more assistance in assault – he had eight shots against Mexico, and taken the whole offensive weight on his shoulders. Read more: truesportrealtalk.com