In contrast to the festival-like atmosphere surrounding Brazilian and Portuguese supporters throughout the city, the mood was calm and understated in Koreatown today as Korea DPR prepared to square off with the number one ranked team in the world.
The friendly staff at Clinton's, located in the heart of Koreatown at Bloor and Clinton, described the crowd as "standing room only" for South Korea's first game against Greece last Saturday and were hoping for more of the same with DPR's debut today.
While I had no trouble securing a seat at kick-off, by the start of the second half most of the bar was filled with supporters of both teams, accompanied by several on-lookers watching from the street.
North Korea spent much of the first half successfully employing its staunch defencive tactics, particularly stifling the speed of the favoured Brazilians. While Brazil was in possession of the ball a staggering 66% of the time in the first half, much of this was spent in the middle-third of the field in an unsuccessful search for a hole in the North Korean defence.
When DPR did have the ball, there was no hesitancy throughout the line-up to shoot from all angles. While North Korean coach Kim Jong-Hun did plead with is team repeatedly to settle down in the offencive zone, it was clear that DPR was intent on testing Brazilian keeper Julio Cesar. Unfortunately for DPR supporters, this strategy lead to several attempts from difficult spots on the pitch.
The second half started with Brazil on the attack with a more familiar pace and style, unleashing a flurry of chances that culminated in a wonderful goal in the 55th minute by Maicon. While DPR keeper Ri Myong-Guk did accept responsibility for committing the cardinal sin of abandoning his near post, he could hardly be faulted given the extreme angle at which Maicon managed to find the net.
Shortly after Maicon broke through, Robinho sent in a lovely ball to a streaking Elano who had no trouble putting Brazil up 2-0. Elano's goal was met with a warm reception from Brazilian supporters both in the stadium and in Clinton's, as it seemed to signal that a Brazilian rout may be on. In a curious move, Coach Dunga rewarded Elano's effort by immediately substituting for him with Dani Alves.
Despite having fallen behind 2-0, North Korea managed to maintain poise and retain their defensive discipline for the rest of the half. This hard work was rewarded in the late stages of the match when veteran Ji Yun-Nam broke through the Brazilian defence and scored DPR's first World Cup goal since 1966. Ji's effort was met with a loud cheer throughout Koreatown, with even Brazilian supporters appreciating Korea DPR's valiant effort throughout.
Having avoided an Australia-like embarrassment in their first game, Korea DPR should head into their next match against Portugal with a fair bit of confidence. While DPR are undoubtedly still the underdogs in the group of death, today's strong showing should serve as fair warning to fans of Portugal and the Ivory Coast that were expecting an easy game against this hard-nosed group of North Koreans.
About Nabil Dhirani
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