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| South Korea and New Zealand football match in the Olympics. (Photo from K-odyssey) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] KASHIMA-- Undone by an unlucky bounce and lack of clinical finish, South Korea lost to New Zealand 1-0 to kick off the men's football tournament at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday. Burnley striker Chris Wood potted the match's lone goal in the second half after a shot attempt went off a defender's leg and landed on his feet, following a long stretch of South Korea's ball dominance at Ibaraki Kashima Stadium in Kashima, northeast of Tokyo.
The loss in the first Group B match put South Korea in an early hole in their bid for a second Olympic football medal. They will next face Romania on Sunday in a virtual must-win match, and then Honduras next Wednesday. The top two teams from the group will reach the quarterfinals. "I'd like to apologize to our fans for the disappointing result," South Korea coach Kim Hak-bum said. "But we still have two matches. If we can prepare well for them, I think we should be able to reach the quarterfinals."
South Korea dominated the run of play in the first half and did everything but score. Kwon Chang-hoon, one of three overage players for South Korea, missed out on a pair of open looks from point-blank range, with both opportunities set up by fullback Kang Yoon-seong.
