S. Korea beat Australia 3-1 in football friendly

SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea beat Australia 3-1 in a friendly in Seoul
on Saturday, brightening the outlook for next year's World Cup finals in South
Africa.
The South Korean squad, which secured its seventh consecutive berth to the World
Cup finals in June, took control quickly against the Australian visitors, with
Park Chu-young giving the hosts a lead just four minutes into the game.
Lee Jang-soo later successfully landed a close range shot, delivering the team's
second goal just 20 minutes into the first half.
Patrick Kisnorbo led Australia back to a strong offense after he landed a header
in the right penalty zone 33 minutes into the first half.
In the final minutes of game, South Korea's Seol Ki-hyeon snatched a cross from
his team's captain Park Ji-sung, to head a goal that gave the hosts a 3-1 lead.
"Australia is a team that is on level with European teams in terms of having
strong defense. The match gave us an opportunity to examine what we should do in
facing teams of such level and what areas to supplement," Huh Jung-moo, South
Korea's head coach, said during a post-game press conference.
The South Korean team finished the World Cup Asian qualifying round on top, while
North Korea, Australia and Japan also reached the finals. Paraguay stood third in
the ongoing qualifying round in South America, trailing Brazil and Chile.
The Asian football powerhouse is scheduled for a friendly match against Senegal
in October in preparation for the World Cup finals.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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