And there is the final whistle. Brazil were a better side in the second half, but North Korea were brave throughout. It was a deserved result but if I was the Ivory Coast or Portugal I wouldn’t be looking at the Koreans as an easy three points.
The Koreans are going for this one in injury time. Throwing men forward!
Cracking cross-field ball finds Jong Tae-se. He heads it down into the path of Ji Yun-nam who rifles it home from close range!
Goal Korea!!!!!
The Brazilians are beating the life out of their samba drums but you can’t hear a note of it with those feckin horns.
Ramires is coming on for Melo. He has six minutes of normal time to see if he can carve his name into the match.
It’s starting to turn into a training game for Brazil. They are spraying the ball around and creating chance after chance. There could be one or two more in this for the Brazilians.
Robinho holds the ball up in a very crowded midfield just long enough for Elano to burst down the right. Robinho’s slide-rule pass carves open the Koreans and goes straight into Alano’s path. He finishes neatly for 2-0!
Goal Brazil!!!
Pak Chol-jin has picked up an odd-looking injury after going into the back of Kaka. His leg appears to be stuck up in the air. They put him onto a stretcher, leg a-kimbo, and carted him off the pitch.
There was a quick shot of a crowd of red-clad North Korean supporters – and one of them was a caucasian blonde chick. Strange.
Fabiano picks up the ball inside the box after a great ball from Robinho. Controls well with his chest but blasts his shot wide on the turn. This doesn’t bode well.
Bastos is running riot down the left. A nutmeg, a step-over and a sweet little flick sends him through the North Korean midfield. Finally ran out of room at the by-line. The crowd loved the run all the same.
Approaching the hour-mark here and it has to be said, that’s hard on the Koreans. You just can’t see them getting a goal here at this stage.
And it’s Maicon. He flew down the right on the overlap after some lovely build-up play. He was was picked out and rifled the shot home from a shockingly tight angle. Goal of the tournament.
Goal Brazil!!!!!!!!
Corner his headed away by Juan.
Pak Nam-chol running at Lucio – Pak fancies it, cuts inside the box and wins a corner.
Robinho is standing over this one but Bastos takes! Flies wide. Should have tested the goal-keeper there.
Kaka goes down at the edge of the box! There was marginal contact from Pak Chol-jin – he made a meal of it!
The Koreans are starting to back off a bit here and are inviting Brazil onto them. That said, they have been making the important challenges when needed.
Great ball into the box from Maicon looking for Fabiano! He’s closely marshaled and the ball bounces just behind him. Slightly mistimed his run on that occassion.
And we’re off again for the second half!
Paul in Belfast reckons this could be a long night for Brazil: “They Koreans are looking good for this one – they won’t win it but they are well worth a point!”
Eamon Dunphy is on form on RTE: “There’s been no fouling, no yellow cards and no cynicism from the North Koreans. There is a lot to be said for the North Korean way of life.â€
Apparently 8 of the 14 games so far have been 0-0 at half-time. That’s a shocking stat and an indictment of the World Cup so far. Seriously, fingers out lads.
And there’s the end of the first half. You have to hand it to the Koreans for how they’ve approached this one. Everyone was saying they would park a bus for the entire game, but they’ve got forward when they could. That said, Brazil have been getting into it towards the end of the first half, and it might be a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.
One minute left to half-time. Come on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea!
Robinho making life difficult for Ri Kwang-chon down the left. Most of the Brazilans seem intent on pasing the ball into the net. When Robinho gets it he’s running straight at the Koreans.
Sensational interplay from the Brazilians – 20-odd short paces around the Korean box. Eventually goes out for a corner. Plays short and more of the same – Kaka and Elano orchestrating the show.
There are only 10 minutes left of the half. Very few would have thought North Korea would hold out this long. And you can’t exactly expect to see them run out of puff in the second half. These lads are as fit as a fiddles – probably never had a drink in their lives.
“Not happy to see Elano taking the corners! That could affect my bet! Koreans are holding them off well, I feel the goal is coming soon though.
Tae se is playing his heart out!”
Frank, Mayo.
Pak Chol-jin, a centre-half, finds himself with the ball at his feet at the edge of the Brazil box! Tries a shot! Tame in the end. Fizzes through a few legs and out for a goal kick. Someone gets a toe on that and it’s 1-0 North Korea.
Jong Tae-se bursts down the left, tracked all the way by Lucio. The striker has obviously not been shot. Forces a corner. Nice swift break there.
Jong Tae-se is after picking up a knock and his leg is bleeding. Looks like damage done from studs, but it’s hard to see where the wound came from on the replay. Maybe he made like he was going to make a break for it. There could be snipers North Korean Army snipers in the crowd.
Good work from Brazil in the centre of the park. Comes out to Maicon who tries a shot! Palmed away by the Korean keeper. Corner Brazil. Doesn’t beat the first man – headed away by Jong.
Aiden from Galway has been onto us about the odds we gave earlier: “Was it really 8/1 for the draw? That doesn’t look like a bad bet at the minute.”
It most certainly was 8/1. Give your bookies a bell now and see what he gives you. Might get 5/1 if you’re lucky.
Fabiano picks out Robinho in the box. He manages to get the ball out from under his feet and shoots! Drills it low straight at the keeper.
The Brazilians have been attempting to work the ball down the centre. Hasn’t worked for them so far. Might need to get the ball out wide a bit faster.
Some really positive play from the Koreans, it has to be said. They’re passing and moving well and are getting quite a bit of space. From the evidence of the first 15 minutes there are worse teams in this tournament than these boys.
Positive work from Hong Yong-Jo down the right. He managed to get out of North Korea and he now plays his football in – wait for it – Russia.
Jong Tae-se bursts down the right and cuts into the box. He does well to hold off his man and shoots! Gathered by Cesar. The North Koreans are not looking the scared, confused communists some might have been hoping they might.
Apparently Sven Goran Eriksson was offered the North Korea post – and he actually thought about taking it! That’s some rather hookerish behaviour.
Elano gets the first shot of the night. Takes a swing at it from 25 yards or so, but it’s high and wide. There have been quite a few over-hit shots in this World Cup. Time to blame the ball.
Frank in Mayo got onto us earlier to say he had backed Elano for first goal. Mark in Skibbereen thinks otherwise: ‘Fabiano is the bet. 3/1 – get in there.’
Cracking run from Robinho. Breezed past three Koreans down the left into the Korean box. Played a square ball to Kaka, but it was slightly behind him and was poked clear by Cha Jong-hyok.
And we’re off!
One of the North Korean players is balling his eyes out! He’s really in a bad way. We’re debating whether it’s pride at hearing his anthem or fear of the Brazilians.
The anthems are underway. Some nice shots of the Brazilian women in the crowd. Wonder if there will be any fit North Korean girls knocking around.
The North Koreans have been clinical in their preparations ahead of this one, with diet being particularly key. According to news reports, they have been eating lucky rice cakes before the game. Believe it or not, that’s actually not some sort of racist joke. According to the Chosun Sinbo, run by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, the team brought chefs to South Africa and had rice cakes as part of its last dinner before the match. “The chefs said they made them with a sincere heart to wish for a victory in the match” said a report.
Frank in Mayo is watching this one with JOE.ie tonight and he is putting his money where is mouth is.
He emailed: “Just stuck 20 quid on Elano to score first, he’s at 8/1. Good or bad idea?”
Well, Dunga seems to have set up Brazil in a way which plays to Elano’s strengths and he has to be among those fancied to get in there first. There are definitely worse bets out there Frank.
Brazil have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to quality players, but North Korea are not a total bunch of no-hopers. Striker Jong Tae-Se for example, who is one of the J-League’s top players, has scored 15 goals in 22 matches for his country. He will be ploughing a lonely furrow up front on his own tonight.
33-1 sounds like it might be worth a fiver. Until you become aware of the fact that Brazil haven’t lost a World Cup opener since 1934.
Some interesting odds on this one: Brazil 1-9, North Korea 33-1 and it’s 10-1 for the draw.
But not to worry, we will try to refer to them by their first and second names during the game. Three people called ‘Ri’. They’re having a laugh!
A few little-known facts for you about the North Korean team taking to the field tonight:
None of the players have any more than four letters in their second name.
Only two have three or more letters in their second name.
There are three ‘Ri’s, two ‘Pak’s and an ‘An’.
You would need to put all of their names together in order to get one Polish name.
This is how the teams will be starting out:
Brazil: Júlio César, Maicon, Lúcio, Juan, M. Bastos, G. Silva, Elano, F. Melo, Robinho, L. Fabiano, Kaká.
North Korea: M. Ri, J. Cha, C. Pak, N. Pak, K. Ri, J. Ri, I. Mun, Y. Hong, Y. An, T. Jong.
