Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tokyo: Absent from the competition since 2006, Korea Republic’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are set to make their return to the FIFA Club World Cup, thanks to their recent AFC Champions League triumph.
After missing out on the chance to return to the global stage in 2011, when they lost to Al Sadd of Qatar in the continental final, the South Koreans atoned this year and will now join the rest of the world’s best at Japan 2016, which kicks off in a few days time.
Fifth on their last appearance in the competition, the South Koreans are looking for a place on the podium this time and have the players to achieve just that, not least in attack, where rangy target man Kim Shin-wook plies his trade. Standing 6’5 (1.96m) tall, Shin-wook has Club World Cup experience under his belt already, having appeared with Ulsan Hyundai at Japan 2012.
The striker gave an exclusive interview to FIFA.com in the wake of his side’s 1-1 draw away to Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates in the second leg of the AFC Champions League final, a result that secured the trophy for the South Koreans and which they celebrated in front of their loyal band of travelling supporters. After retiring to the dressing rooms, a beaming Shin-wook said: “It’s a great day for me. We’ve won the Asian title for the first time in ten years.”
He added: “It’s been a tough journey, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity we had in this final. We won the first leg at home and we had to battle really hard against Al Ain to win the cup. I knew I was going to start on the subs’ bench because that was the coach’s plan. I couldn’t wait to get on when I started to warm up on the touchline. If the score had changed, I’d have wanted to go and get the winner, but the draw was enough for us so I stayed back and helped out in defence.”
Shin-wook won a number of high balls after coming on with a little over half an hour of the second leg remaining, helping his side to check Al Ain’s attacking momentum and then hit them on the counter. His defensive contribution proved crucial in securing the draw that clinched Jeonbuk the trophy.
The South Koreans now have their sights set firmly on Japan 2016. Looking ahead to the tournament, Shin-wook said: “It’s my second time in the competition, after 2012. I have to make the most of the experience I have and pass it on to the team. I know where I have to go on the pitch and what I have to do. We need to show how strong South Korean football is. We can’t be happy just to be there. We have to play a leading role.”
Shin-wook and his team-mates will face Club America of Mexico in the quarter-finals, with the winners then facing Real Madrid. He is refusing to look too far ahead, however: “We mustn’t fall into the trap of thinking about Real Madrid and their stars. We’ve got to focus on the quarter-final first of all. If we win, then we can start to dream about what would be a historic match.”
The front-man was on the losing side in both Ulsan’s games in 2012, against Monterrey of Mexico and Sanfrecce Hiroshima of Japan, with the South Koreans finishing sixth overall. Looking back on that tournament and how Jeonbuk can avoid suffering the same fate, Shin-wook said: “I learned a lot from it. We’re a well organised team, with some great players. We’ll work hard for each other on the pitch and try to come away with some positive results.”
Asked then for his thoughts on Korea Republic’s bid to reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, the tall striker smiled and said: “We’re one of the best teams in Asia. We’ve played at every world finals since 1986 and we need to keep that record going. We’re lying second in the group at the halfway stage, and we have to pick up some wins to finish first and qualify for Russia 2018.”
Sources: FIFA.com, Lagardère Sports