Korea Republic outplayed Bolivia from start to finish and did everything but score at Tivoli-Neu Stadium in Innsbruck, Austria.

"We controlled the match, but we should have converted some of the chances," said Shin. "Even when we were set up deep in the box, we couldn't quite finish it off."

After the team opened camp in Austria over the weekend, Shin ran his 23 players through some hard conditioning drills in an effort to increase their fitness and stamina ahead of their first Group F match against Sweden on June 18.

Shin admitted the players looked sluggish after those gruelling sessions and also said they made "some small mistakes."

"I think we should be able to play much better than this," he said. "Winning this match wasn't as important as trying to build our patterns. Our focus is on Sweden on June 18."

A Saudi Arabia team featuring the likes of Majed Abdullah, Fuad Anwar and Sami Al Jaber reached the Round of 16 in the country’s debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup in the United States in 1994, with Saeed Al Owairan’s mesmerising goal against Belgium still rated among the finest ever scored at the finals.

And with Hawsawi and his teammates set to make history by becoming the first Asian Football Confederation member association to feature in the tournament’s opening game when they take on Russia in Moscow on June 14, the Al Hilal centre-half is relishing the challenge that lies ahead.

“It will be a big honour for me to be the national team captain, especially at the World Cup,” said the 34-year-old. “We will be playing in a big competition and millions of people all around the world will be watching the opening match.

“It is an amazing feeling and I hope that we can fulfill the expectations of our fans and our football officials as well.”

Korea Republic, whose latest FIFA World Ranking is 57, struggled to overcome a tight Bolivia defence.

Korea Republic have set up camp in Austria and will next play Senegal behind closed doors on Monday.

They will then fly to Saint Petersburg, their FIFA World Cup base, on Tuesday. 

In Group F action, Korea Republic will first face World No 24 Sweden on June 18, followed by No 15 Mexico on June 23 and then defending champions Germany on June 27.

Source: Yonhap

“Everytime I choose somewhere for the Iranian national team’s (training) camp at the World Cup, its club would be the champions of the league,” said the 65-year-old Portuguese before the team’s first training session.

“In 2014, I chose the Sports Club Corinthians Paulista, who later became the champions of Brazil, and this year the Moscow-based FC Lokomotiv campus was provided to the Iranian team, and they went on to win the title of the Russian Premier League (in May).

“I am very happy to be at the home of the Russian club champions and there will be no better place here for us. I hope we will have no problems.”

Japan’s average age among their 23 players for their sixth consecutive FIFA World Cup is 28.3 years – the oldest since the nation qualified for their first appearance in France 1998 under Takeshi Okada.

Kagawa, now 29 and who narrowly missed the final cut for South Africa 2010 at the age of 21, is being counted on by Nishino to lift Japan out of a tough Group H, which has Colombia, Senegal and Poland, into the knockout stage after collecting just one point in Brazil 2014.

Japan – under former AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus boss Alberto Zaccheroni – played Colombia in their last group game in Brazil, a 4-1 defeat that eliminated them from the tournament.

Hong Myung-bo, Sami Al Jaber, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Tim Cahill. Just some of the names of Asia's footballing elite to have left their mark on the global stage. But how about those stars of the Continental game who have not been so fortunate, for one reason or another, to represent their nation at the FIFA World Cup?

We review and recognise six of those players from Kirkuk in Iraq to Sydney, Australia and invite you to pick your favourite in the voting poll at the end of the article.

Nevertheless, with Son Heung-min – arguably Asia's finest footballer currently playing – and several other young attacking talents in the ranks, the Taeguk Warriors have the potential to excite.

Overview

Set for their ninth consecutive FIFA World Cup, Korea Republic have had a number of pre-Russia 2018 warm-up matches over the last six months with a wide variety of opponents and a series of mixed results. Wins over Moldova, Latvia and Honduras; a draw with Jamaica; losses to Northern Ireland, Poland and Bosnia and Herezegovina.

At the time of writing, Shin Tae-yong's side are yet to face Bolivia and Senegal in their final ties before they kick off their World Cup campaign against Sweden on June 18, but it seems the side are yet to settle on a line-up with a 3-5-2 formation the latest experiment in the defeat to Bosnia.