World Cup Qualifier

[Anchor Lead]

Korea has advanced into its ninth consecutive World Cup finals. In its tenth and last qualifying match against Uzbekistan, Team Korea played to a draw and won its berth to the main round of next year's Russia World Cup.

[Pkg]

After a tumultuous journey, the Korean national football team has secured a spot in next year's Russia World Cup. The team went into the match with Uzbekistan determined to win at all costs. Players did not shy away from physical contact to secure an advantage. There were moments when goals were nearly conceded, but the squad created several scoring opportunities as well. Unfortunately these chances did not lead to an actual goal. Korea and Uzbekistan played to a scoreless draw. With 15 points in total, Korea has won a ticket to advance to the 2018 World Cup finals which is given to the top two teams of each group in the qualifying round. Korea's second place finish in the group was finalized by the outcome of the Syria and Iran match which ended in a 2 to 2 tie. Korea has made it into its 9th consecutive World Cup since the 1986 Mexico games. Including the 1954 Swiss World Cup, Korea is competing in the main round for the 10th time overall. The qualifying stage is finally over. The Korean squad must now thoroughly prepare for next year's World Cup by improving on the weaknesses revealed in previous matches