The clichés about a ‘politically charged fixture’ are never truer than when applied to North Korea taking on South Korea. On Wednesday the two teams meet in a World Cup qualifier that FIFA has moved from the North Korean capital of Pyongyang to the neutral Chinese city of Shanghai after the North refused to fly the flag or play the national anthem of its southern neighbor.
It will be the fourth time the countries, which are still technically at war, have met this year, with the first three games all ending in ties. North Korea’s star striker Jong Tae Se promised this match will be different, and told the AP: “There will be no more ties. This time we will win and I am confident of scoring a goal.”
The North is in a good position after a 2-1 weekend road win at the United Arab Emirates, while the South must avoid defeat in its first game of the final round or it will fall six points behind its communist neighbor. South Korea Coach Huh Jung-moo promised more attacking soccer after mediocre play in the previous qualifying round, but elected not to call up European-based players Park Ji-sung (Manchester United), Park Chu-young (Monaco) and Lee Young-pyo (Borussia Dortmund) for Wednesday’s game.
Asian qualifying is down to two groups of five, with each group winner and runner-up qualifying automatically for the World Cup. The two third-placed teams play off for the right to meet the Oceania winner (likely New Zealand) for the final place. North Korea vs South Korea will be broadcast live by Fox Soccer Channel at 8am ET Wednesday.