South Korea's national football squad Friday started its preparation for Sunday's exhibition match with Ghana as they focused on shaking off bad memories of a scoreless tie in Oslo.
The squad returned to a training camp hired from the Rangers Club in Glasgow early in the morning after a disappointing match with Norway.
Due to fatigue, they skipped their usual morning training session but hit the field in the afternoon, said Lee Won-jae, spokesman for the squad in the Korea Football Association.
"I'm a little bit away from perfect condition, but we still have many days to improve," said Park Ji-sung, who plays for the Tottenham Hotspurs in the English Premier League, after the afternoon practice.
"Everything is focused on the opening game with Togo in Frankfurt, Germany, on June 13," he said.
Park, one of several players who missed Thursday's match, added, "The most important thing is to go to Germany with full of confidence in victory."
Midfielder Lee Ho told reporters, "Though I sat on the bench throughout the game, the Northern European opponents gave us good lesson with physical presence, a different playing style and a dose of European football taste."
The team's Dutch coach, Dick Advocaat, declined comment after the training session.
Twenty-three members of the squad came here last Saturday to rid themselves of jet lag before the World Cup finals in Germany open next Friday. They will face off against Togo, France and Switzerland in Group G of the finals.
The squad will hold a news conference in their hotel, the Glasgow Hilton, on Saturday morning, when 50-odd news reporters from the country will be allowed to meet each player. The Dutch coach is also expected to offer some comments after Saturday's training.
They then will travel to Edinburgh on Sunday to have a final tune-up for the major matchup with Ghana, one of the fresh-face finalists from Africa.
By Yang Te-sam GLASGOW, Scotland, June 2 (Yonhap)
S. Korean squad prepares for Sunday friendly with Ghana |
