Intl' Friendly Soccer Match| KOREA VS HONDURAS

KOREA VS HONDURAS

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY FOOTBALL MATCH HOSTED BY DAEGU CITY

Background

The FIFA World Cup, an international football tournament which is held every 4 years will kick-off in June this year and the Republic of Korea will be taking part in the 21st edition of the tournament this year. This will be the 10th time the Republic of Korea is taking part in this tournament. For most Koreans, 2002 brings back nostalgic memories when the country co-hosted the event with Japan and pulled off some amazing results to reach 4th place; becoming the most successful team from Asia as far as the tournament is concerned.

As part of preparations for the tournament, the Republic of Korea football team had a friendly game on Monday, May 28 with their counterparts from Honduras at the Daegu stadium.

Pre-Match Atmosphere

I arrived at the stadium premises about 2 hours ahead of kick-off and the atmosphere was electrifying. Hundreds of people had turned up at the venue, some flagged in replica jerseys displaying the flag of the country. From children marching and displaying the national flag, to adults clustered in small groups talking among themselves over some bottles of beer, the atmosphere depicted a festival rather than a mere football game. I strolled to the make-shift market to explore the items on display. Ranging from football paraphernalia to food and other assorted products, there was enough merchandise on display in the various stalls. The euphoria and excitement made me forget that I purchased a 500ml bottle of water for ₩ 2,000 (almost $2).

Match Details

The atmosphere in the stadium was even more exciting. The excitement intensified when the players of both sides marched onto the pitch to sing the national anthems and complete pre-match formalities. The match kicked-off at exactly 8 pm as advertised. The stadium erupted into joy when the poster-boy of Korean football, who happened to be the captain for the night, Son Heung –Min found space for himself and released a left footed strike from 25 yards to give the home side the lead. Seon-Min  Moon added another one 12 minutes later to end the game 2-0 for the home team.

Massive Support provided by Daegu

I have been to the Daegu Stadium on several occasions to witness the local team play but the support and turn out I witnessed on this particular day was unprecedented. The well-organized, orchestrated support given by the fans to the team was quiet amazing. 33,252 people turned up for the game and they sang and cheered till the end of the game.

Once more Daegu city and the people have lived up to expectation and we wish the team all the best in Russia.