(Reuters) – Following is a statbox on South Korea at the World Cup.
FIFA Ranking: 28
Odds: 250-1
Previous tournaments:
South Korea are appearing at their 10th consecutive World Cup and 11th in total, having qualified for every finals since 1986. Their best performance came in 2002 when, as co-hosts with Japan, Guus Hiddink led the country to the semi-finals, where they lost to Germany. They again advanced to the knockout rounds in 2010, when they were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Uruguay.
How they qualified
South Korea had few issues advancing from a relatively unchallenging group in the third phase of Asia’s preliminaries, winning eight and drawing one of their first nine qualifiers to secure their place at the finals.
Form guide
South Korea have suffered inconsistent form since qualifying for the World Cup, slipping to a heavy 5-1 loss against Brazil in June while drawing with Costa Rica and defeating Cameroon in September. A second-string side lost 3-0 to Japan at the East Asian Championship in July.
(Reporting by Michael Church; Editing by Clare Fallon)
