South Korea fans overjoyed after win over Portugal to set foot in next round of World Cup
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 03, 2022
Reuters
Overjoyed fans celebrated and cheered at FIFA Fan Festival after South Korea beating Portugal on Friday
“I’m so proud of our players. I’m so proud of our country. We won!” said South Korea fan Amin Jung right after Hwang Hee-chan struck a 91st-minute winner to beat Portugal 2-1 in Al Rayyan at the World Cup, a comeback win that sent the Asian side into the last 16 ahead of Uruguay on the number of goals scored.
With the clock ticking down on South Korea’s time in the tournament, striker Son Heung-min ran free after a Portugal corner in added time and slipped a pass to Hwang Hee-chan who fired past Diogo Costa to spark wild celebrations.
After an early opener by Ricardo Horta for Portugal, Kim Young-gwon gave the Koreans hope in the 27th minute when a corner struck Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo on the back and fell kindly for the defender to sweep the ball home.
The last-gasp victory for South Korea catapulted them from fourth to second place in Group H ahead of Uruguay, who beat Ghana 2-0 in the group’s other game but failed to score enough goals to finish above the Asians. Portugal top the group.
South Korea beat Portugal to squeeze into next round at World Cup
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 03, 2022
Reuters
South Korea scored a last-gasp goal to beat already-qualified Portugal 2-1 at the World Cup in a comeback win that sent the Asian side into the last 16 ahead of Uruguay on goals scored.
With the clock ticking down on South Korea’s time in the tournament, striker Son Heung-min ran free after a Portugal corner in added time and slipped a pass to Hwang Hee-chan who fired past Diogo Costa to spark wild celebrations.
After the whistle blew, the anxious Korean players gathered in a circle awaiting the end of the Uruguay-Ghana game and exploded with joy when the news arrived that the South Americans had only won 2-0 in their Group H clash.
South Korea had to beat Portugal at the Education City Stadium to stand a chance of going through to the last 16 and their win catapulted them from fourth to second place by virtue of having scored four goals in the tournament to Uruguay’s two.
Portugal finished top despite the loss and should avoid facing likely Group G winners Brazil in the knockout stage.
Winger Ricardo Horta had put Portugal ahead with their first goal attempt in the fifth minute when he found himself inside the box and converted a neat cut-back by defender Diogo Dalot.
South Korea
The Koreans thought they had levelled in the 17th when a close-range shot by defender Kim Jin-su beat keeper Diogo Costa at his right post but the effort was disallowed for offside.
However, they did manage to equalise 10 minutes later through defender Kim Young-gwon who scored after the ball bounced off Cristiano Ronaldo’s back following a corner.
Ronaldo, seeking a goal to equal Portugal’s overall World Cup record of nine scored by the great Eusebio, had his first chance just after the half-hour mark with a solo effort which Kim Seung-gyu saved and he was in any case offside.
The Portugal captain had another one-on-one with Kim but his effort was too weak to trouble the keeper and he was given a rest in the 65th minute when replaced by striker Andre Silva.
South Korea players pose with a flag after the match as South Korea qualify for the knockout stagesSouth Korea
Japan clean up Group E, their fans clean up the stadiums
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 02, 2022
Reuters
Dozens of Japan fans have been sticking around after the final whistle at World Cup matches to help with the cleanup.
After Japan beat Spain 2-1 on Thursday (December 1), a group of Japan supporters hung around to collect trash left around the stands of the Khalifa International Stadium.
The courteous fans filled blue plastic bags with discarded cups, plastic bottles, and wrappers while most fans were already well on their way home into early Friday (December 2) morning.
Scores of Japan fans came to the match armed with clear blue bags which have become a symbol at the Qatar World Cup as fans have taken notice of their tidy ways.
One fan who took part in the clean up, Atsushi Nomura, said it was just common sense for people to pick up after themselves.
“If I don’t feel like looking at trash, I just pick it up. It’s faster that way. If we just wait for others to do it, nobody will do it. So, it’s faster that we just do it ourselves. That’s it. It’s simply because we like things to be tidy and clean,” Nomura said.
Another participant, Naoya Endo, said tidiness is instilled at a young age and likened it to a Japanese proverb.
“There’s a proverb (in Japan) that you leave things cleaner than you found them when you arrived. That’s to say we make the space tidier and cleaner before we leave, and that’s something we were taught by our parents when we were kids,” Endo said.
Japan fan carrys rubbish in a plastic bag as he cleans the stands after the match
How Japan – and the ball sensor – knocked mighty Germany out of World Cup
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 02, 2022
The positional sensor in the Al Rihla ball provided the biggest shock of the 2022 World Cup so far, knocking Germany out of the tournament on Friday, Thai time.
As Japan began wildly celebrating their strike to go 2-1 up against Spain, the referee ruled the ball had gone out of play before the final pass and disallowed the goal.
The video assistant referee (VAR) then took another look, and calculated a tiny fraction of the ball had stayed in play.
It was enough to eliminate four-time winners Germany, who were playing Costa Rica in Group E’s other fixture.
Going into last night’s matches, all four teams in Group E were still in the race to qualify for the knockout stage.
But Japan needed a win against favourites Spain to guarantee their berth in the round of 16.
Alvaro Morata headed Spain into the lead in the 11th minute, and the future was looking bleak for Japan at half-time.
The Blue Samurai returned after the break knowing that they needed a win since Germany were 1-0 up against Costa Rica.
Japan’s Ritsu Doan unleashed a long-range strike to equalise in the 48th minute.
Then Kaoru Mitoma chased a ball to the byline before cutting it back for Ao Tanaka to make it 2-1. Referee Victor Gomes quickly interrupted Japan’s celebrations to rule the ball had gone out of play before the goal.
However, VAR overturned his decision after the positional sensor in the Al Rihla ball showed it had stayed within the field of play.
According to Fifa rules, the ball is only out of play when every part crosses the line.
In other words, if a line is drawn straight up from the byline, and that line intersects with any part of the ball, the ball is still in play.
Fifa also offered an explanation after the game, saying the “curvature of the ball” kept it in play.
The goal was crucial, as Japan needed a win to qualify since Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2.
Japan finished top of Group E and will face Croatia in the round of 16, while second-place Spain will play Morocco.
Germany crash out of World Cup despite 4-2 win over Costa Rica
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 02, 2022
Reuters
Four-time champions Germany sensationally crashed out of the World Cup despite a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica in their last Group E match on Thursday (December 1), tumbling out at the first hurdle for the second consecutive time.
Germany finished third in the standings, behind Spain on goal difference, with Japan top following their 2-1 win over the Spaniards.
The result left Japan facing Croatia in the last 16 while Spain will face Morocco.
On a night of unrelenting drama in the desert near Doha, the Germans struck first with Serge Gnabry in the 10th minute but saw the Central Americans score twice with Yeltsin Tejeda and Juan Pablo Vargas before a Kai Havertz brace put them back in front.
Fellow substitute Niclas Fuellkrug added a fourth in stoppage time but it could do nothing to prevent their elimination as Spain advanced with a superior goal difference.
It was the first time in their illustrious World Cup history that Germany had failed to win any of their first two group matches and despite bagging a win on their last attempt, they will be departing Qatar with dropped heads.
They were teetering on the brink of elimination going into the game after losing their opening group match to Japan and then snatching a 1-1 draw against Spain.
Needing only victory to avoid a repeat of their shock 2018 World Cup first round exit, Germany, with seven Bayern Munich players in their line-up, charged forward from the start in search of an early goal to settle their nerves.
Jamal Musiala cut from left into the box and tested keeper Keylor Navas with a low drive in the second minute.
Germany
It was one-way traffic initially and unmarked Thomas Mueller should have done much better when he was picked out by Joshua Kimmich but could not keep his header on target.
Gnabry, however, scored with his glancing header in the 10th minute to put the four-time champions in front.
Costa Rica, who required at least a point to have a chance to progress, rarely crossed into the German half, with only about 25% possession in the first 45 minutes.
Germany were eager to make amends for their bad tournament start with teenager Musiala repeatedly taking on the entire Costa Rican defence.
The chances kept coming but the Germans, as in the game against Japan, struggled to convert them.
They were almost punished when Keysher Fuller benefitted from a double defensive blunder but his shot was tipped over the bar by keeper Manuel Neuer, who became a World Cup record holder for goalkeepers with his 19th appearance.
With the group standings flashing on the big screen of the Al Bayt stadium, Germany grew nervous with Musiala twice hitting the post early in the second half.
Neuer, however, could do nothing 13 minutes after the restart when Tejeda thundered the ball past him on the rebound after he had first saved a Kendall Waston header.
Vargas then bungled the ball over the line in the 70th minute to put them in front.
Substitute Havertz scored twice in 12 minutes and Fuellkrug added another in stoppage time but ultimately it was too little too late with Spain advancing with a superior goal difference.
Japan roar back again to beat Spain and advance to last 16
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 02, 2022
Reuters
Japan staged their second stunning turnaround of the World Cup when they beat 2010 champions Spain 2-1 on Thursday (December 1) with two quick-fire goals and advanced to the last 16 along with their beaten opponents.
Going into the halftime break 1-0 down and on course for an early World Cup exit, Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu reorganised his side to give them more attacking bite and within six minutes the Samurai Blue were ahead.
Ritsu Doan, one of the substitutes, hammered in a shot from the edge of the box in the 48th minute that Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon – whose poor clearance had created the danger – could not keep out.
Three minutes later, Ao Tanaka scored from close range after the other halftime sub Kaoru Mitoma cut the ball back from the byline.
The VAR system took several minutes to confirm the ball had not gone out before Mitoma’s touch, sparking wild celebrations by Japan and their fans when the verdict came in.
Spain had looked in total control in the first half but were suddenly clinging to their chance of staying in the World Cup as Costa Rica and Germany battled out their own drama in the other Group E match.
JapanJapan
Alvaro Morata had put the Spaniards ahead when he scored his third goal in three games in Qatar, rising high above Japan’s defence to power a header past goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda in the 11th minute after a cross by Cesar Azpilicueta.
The breathtaking 2-1 win for Japan – who also beat Germany 2-1 after going behind in their opening match of the tournament – meant they topped Group E, followed by Spain in second who finished ahead of third-placed Germany only on goal difference.
Japan will face Croatia in the last 16 while Spain will meet Morocco.
Argentina outclass Poland despite Messi penalty miss to advance
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 01, 2022
Reuters
Argentina advanced to the knockout stages of the World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Poland in their final Group C match on Wednesday (November 30), even though skipper Lionel Messi saw a first half penalty saved at Stadium 974.
Argentina’s victory moved the South American side to the top of the group and they will face Australia in the last-16 while second-placed Poland will take on reigning champions France.
Argentina took the lead just one minute into the second half when Alexis Mac Allister got on the end of Nahuel Molina’s cross and, despite making weak contact, he saw his shot creep over the line with Polish keeper Wojciech Szczesny beaten.
The goal was a just reward for Argentina who had dominated possession while Poland barely managed to get out of their own half.
The second goal was the result of some patient buildup where Argentina knocked the ball around before Enzo Fernandez unlocked the defence with a through-ball for Julian Alvarez, who found space in the box and smashed it into the top corner.
Earlier, Poland was up in arms when Argentina was awarded a controversial penalty after a VAR check for a foul on Messi when Szczesny’s glove brushed his face as the Paris St Germain forward rose up for a header at the far post.
Argentina
But Szczesny was up to the task and despite the thousands of Argentina fans raising the decibel levels inside the arena, he kept his composure and guessed correctly, diving to his left and using one hand to swat aside Messi’s effort from the spot.
Szczesny had been kept busy the entire half with the Poland defence breached time and again but the Juventus keeper stood firm to deny the Argentines who grew more confident with every attack.
He first denied Alvarez when the Manchester City forward broke through the offside trap before he tipped Angel Di Maria’s cross over the bar when his Juve teammate attempted to score directly from a corner kick.
But he could do nothing but scramble when Mac Allister took his shot even before Poland could settle down after the restart while Alvarez’s shot for the second goal was too good for any keeper.
Explainer: Why does it take so long to get Thai nationality?
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2022
National taekwondo coach Choi Young-seok finally achieved his dream of becoming a full Thai national this year, after leading Thailand to Olympic glory. But people are still confused over why he had to wait 20 years to get Thai citizenship despite being a hero in his adopted country.
The Nation Thailand explains why it takes so long for foreigners like Choi to become fully Thai and enjoy all the benefits that come with citizenship.
Choi fits the job description as a former South Korean national taekwondo athlete with experience as coach of the Bahrain squad.
Coach Choi in practice
2004: First Olympic medal
Coach Choi takes over a national team that barely registers in international competitions, as taekwondo is not popular in Thailand. All that changes after just two years, when he leads Thailand to its first Olympic taekwondo medal as Yaowapa Boorapolchai wins bronze at the 2004 Athens Games.
Like many expats, Choi begins falling in love with Thai life, but he remains reluctant to renounce his South Korean citizenship.
The love is reciprocated by Thai people as Choi leads his athletes to medal success at every Olympics, culminating in Panipak Wongpattanakit winning Thailand’s first Olympic taekwondo gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Apart from this, Thailand also won so many goal medals in the Asian Games that the origin country South Korea had to keep an eye on Thailand and Coach Choi.
Coach Choi and Panipak Wongpattanakit celebrated at the 2020 Tokyo Games
2011: Submits application for Thai citizenship
After 10 years living and working in Thailand, Coach Choi finally takes the big step and notifies authorities of his desire to become a Thai citizen. He and his employer, the Taekwondo Association of Thailand, send in applications in 2011. But there’s a catch…
Coach Choi and Panipak Wongpattanakit at the Manchester 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix
2021: Gives up South Korean citizenship
Like many people living overseas, Choi has deep family ties back in his birth country. He knows that renouncing his South Korean citizenship would hurt the feelings of his grandmother. The law mandates South Koreans cannot hold dual citizenship.
But after his grandmother passes away, Choi takes the plunge and gives up Korean citizenship.
“I have stayed in Thailand for almost 20 years and I want to create a life in Thailand as my family lives here. My son is also happy here,” he said.
“My athletes and students are like my sons and daughters. When I am a Thai citizen, [I] will help develop taekwondo in Thailand.”
Choi says it will also be easier to set up a foundation for taekwondo when he becomes Thai.
“I have already decided that I want Thai nationality, I want to become a Thai person who earns a gold medal for Thailand, not a Korean who leads Thai athletes to the Olympic gold medal.”
Coach Choi and his son
Requirements for Thai nationality:
One of the reasons for the delay in getting Thai nationality was his refusal to renounce his original citizenship while he was travelling back and forth to South Korea to take care of his sick grandmother.
Once she passes away, he is free to get on with meeting the requirements for Thai citizenship under the Nationality Act.
The Nationality Act lists five requirements for people applying for naturalisation as Thai citizens:
Must be at least 18 years old
Well-behaved with a clean criminal record
Minimum income of 80,000 baht per month (or 40,000 if married to a Thai citizen) with three years of unbroken work permits from Thai employer
A minimum of 5 years permanent residency in Thailand
Knowledge of the Thai language
The government can revoke Thai citizenship if there is evidence that the naturalised person is still using their former nationality.
Coach Choi and drawings
February 3, 2022: Coach Choi finally becomes a Thai citizen
After passing all the requirements and having his application processed, the Royal Gazette finally announces that Choi Young-seok – now known by his chosen Thai name of Chatchai Choi – is a Thai national.
“I feel more relaxed now that I am completely Thai,” he said. “[I] do not have to apply for a visa, do not have to apply for a work permit in Thailand anymore.
“Now, I will buy a house for myself and my family,” Choi said, adding that he was looking forward to voting just like other Thais.
As well as owning property and ditching the work permit and visas, naturalised Thais like Choi can also start a business and hold over 49% of shares in a Thai company.
Rashford double downs Wales to send England into last 16
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2022
Reuters
Marcus Rashford’s second-half double propelled England to a 3-0 win over rivals Wales on Tuesday (November 29) that sent the Three Lions into the World Cup last 16 as Group B winners and ended Welsh hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
The encounter came to life when Rashford curled home a free kick from the edge of the area in the 50th minute before Phil Foden arrived unmarked at the far post to sidefoot Harry Kane’s cross into the net a minute later.
Rashford then inflicted a final blow when he cut inside and somehow managed to find the net with a shot that went through the legs of goalkeeper Danny Ward in the 68th.
The win moved England to seven points and set up a tie against Senegal in the next round, while Wales finished bottom with one point as their first World Cup in 64 years ended without a victory and only one goal scored in three games
EnglandEngland fans celebrate at boxpark Wembley after the match
From Crusaders to Rising Sun, politically sensitive items banned at World Cup
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2022
FIFA has been barring supporters from donning outfits or flags that could be offensive to other nations at the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
It was recently reported that the international governing body of soccer has told English fans not to wear medieval Crusader costumes at the World Cup.
“Crusader costumes in the Arab context can be offensive against Muslims. That is why anti-discrimination colleagues asked fans to wear things inside out or change dress,” the Times of London reported, quoting a FIFA official.
The controversy broke out when some fans of the England team donned fake chain mail armour, swords and shields to imitate Crusader soldiers, during Friday’s game against the US that ended in a scoreless draw. There were also some similarly dressed English fans who appeared at an earlier game against Iran, which ended in a 6-2 England victory.
The Crusades refer to a series of religious wars during the medieval period launched from European countries following the Catholic Church against Islamic nations located in what is now the Middle East.
A similar controversy ensued surrounding the Rising Sun flag carried by some Japanese supporters in Sunday’s match between Japan and Costa Rica, which ended in Costa Rica’s 1-0 victory. It was reported that FIFA officials stopped fans from hanging and displaying the controversial flag.
The Rising Sun flag was used by the Japanese military during World War II, and is regarded as a symbol of the Japanese Empire in countries formerly colonized by it, including Korea.
Seo Kyoung-duk, a general education professor at Sungshin Women’s University who is known for his promotion of Korean culture, said this holds a “very significant meaning” since it marks the first time FIFA has officially prohibited the use of the flag by fans.
“It was a decision that honoured soccer fans all around the world, not just in Asia,” he said.
FIFA has yet to issue an official statement regarding the Rising Sun flag.
South Korea players pose with a flag after the match as South Korea qualify for the knockout stages
Japan fan carrys rubbish in a plastic bag as he cleans the stands after the match
Argentina fans celebrate after the match
Coach Choi in practice
Coach Choi and Panipak Wongpattanakit celebrated at the 2020 Tokyo Games
Coach Choi and Panipak Wongpattanakit at the Manchester 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix
Coach Choi and his son
Coach Choi and drawings
Mission Complete!
England fans celebrate at boxpark Wembley after the match
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