The last time the North made it this far was during its quarterfinals football blitzkrieg at the 1966 England World Cup. The underdog then shocked the world by upsetting Italy 1-0 to gain a spot in the quarterfinals.
In their attempt to reach the semifinals, however, the North Koreans lost 5-3 to Portugal after a relentless offense by Eusebio, despite taking an initial 3-0 lead. To this day, the North Koreans hold the title as the first Asian team to progress beyond the first round of the World Cup finals.
In this year's World Cup, the North Korean team is drawn with Portugal in Group G, together with Brazil and the Ivory Coast. The team lost 2-1 to Brazil on Tuesday.
The communist country is scheduled to square off with the European football giant, FIFA's third-ranked team, at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town on Monday.
The North Koreans' goal to relive their glory 44 years ago is apparent by the words printed on their team bus in South Africa, which says "Chosun, win like in 1966."
The team's midfielder An Yong-hak recently said at a press conference that North Korea "will try to get revenge" for its loss 44 years ago.
Leading the North Koreans' offense will be forward Jong Tae-se, the forward for the Kawasaki Frontale in the Japanese pro league and dubbed "People's Rooney," backed by Hong Yong-jo, Mun In-guk and An covering the ranges of offense and midfield support.
Ji Yun-nam, who scored against Brazil in Tuesday's match, Ri Kwang-chon, Nam Song-chol, Park Chol-jin and Ri Jun-il are expected to show a tenacious defense.
Observers expect the North to again employ a defense-heavy formation and aim for goal opportunities by swiftly penetrating the Portuguese defense, but to also predict a more aggressive performance compared to the Brazil match, as the possibility for a second-round spot would vanish if they lose two games in a row.
Real Madrid star forward Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the biggest attention-grabbers in the South African World Cup, is expected to spearhead the Portuguese offense.
After their 0-0 tie with Ivory Coast in the group opener, Portugal is expected to mobilize a strong offense to raise points by not only wining the match but also through goal differences with North Korea.//Yonhap
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com