Date:28/03/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/03/28/stories/2007032808282100.htm

Sport

India hopes to rein in DPR Korea

S.R. Suryanarayan

READY TO DELIVER: India has been a happy hunting ground for DPR Korea and the team hopes Wednesday will be no different. — Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

CHENNAI: Fourteen years ago the newly built Nehru Stadium witnessed DPR Korea win the Jawaharlal Nehru Gold Cup international football tournament at the expense of Romania.

Late last year in Kolkata, the country's under-19 squad won the Asian youth title, defeating favourite Japan.

India thus seems a happy hunting ground for DPR Korea. It could be no different as its under-23 team takes on host India in the Beijing Olympic qualifier, to be played under floodlights on Wednesday.

With a fair sprinkling of players who had done duty at the Doha Asian Games and for the triumphant under-19 bunch, the visiting side is strong in every sense.

"Winning is the aim of any team and we too have set that as the goal," said Ko Chol Ho, the English-speaking official of the team.

As one of the two unbeaten sides in Group E (Iraq being the other), Korea's goal is beyond a win. "We are keen to be in the Olympics," said Ho.

Acclimatising

With two days of practice, basically to get used to the warm conditions (as compared to the hill-station weather back home), the visitors are ready.

India's foreign coach Colm Toal did not sound pessimistic. "We still have 12 points to fight for (four matches). So all is not over. But more than that, the essence of these qualifiers has been improving Indian football," he said.

Toal agreed that the contest would be tough against Korea, but was confident that the boys would put up a good performance.The entry is with tickets (Rs. 20).