Soccer: South Korean coach vows to take game to Poland

SEOUL - Co-hosts South Korea open their campaign tonight and coach Guus Hiddink has promised his team will be going straight on the offensive against Poland as they attempt to banish memories of past failures.

Forced to wait while most of the other countries have kicked off, Hiddink said the Koreans would be fast out of the traps for their group D clash.

South Korean hopes have been lifted after a narrow defeat by France and a battling 1-1 draw with England in pre-tournament "friendlies."

"We must not sit back and wait, we must try to take the control and the initiative," Hiddink said of his approach to Poland.

The task remains getting South Korea, winless in five past World Cups, a victory in their sixth.

"We [will] try to get the first victory ever," Hiddink said. "We have to fight hard to get in the second round."

Named hosts with Japan in 1996, the Koreans stumbled miserably in France in 1998, including a 5-0 loss engineered by Hiddink when he was coach of the Netherlands.

That triggered panic that they would perform just as poorly on home soil.

Former Bundesliga legend Cha Bum-keun was fired as coach and Hiddink, the former Real Madrid and PSV Eindhoven boss, was brought in to replace him.

The battle begins against Poland, whose arsenal includes Nigeria-born Emmanuel Olisadebe, who scored eight goals in the qualifying matches and who should be partnered by Pawel Kryszalowicz, if he is fit.

Poland's experienced back four led by Schalke 04's central defensive duo of Tomasz Hajto and Thomasz Waldoch will need to be on their guard against the swift Korean forwards, but have promised the hosts a physical encounter.

"There's nothing to lose," said Hiddink, describing the Koreans as underdogs behind Portugal, the United States and Poland in group D.

That will make for a spirited "go-for-it" performance.

Veteran Hwang Sun-hong will lead the South Korean attack in his third and last finals, keen to make up for missing the 1998 finals because of injury.

Captain Hong Myung-bo, his country's most capped player with 125, will anchor the defence in what South Koreans see as their best chance of a final-16 berth.

Probable teams. -

South Korea: Kim Byung-ji, Choi Jin-cheul, Hong Myung-bo, Kim Tae-young, Song Chong-gug, Kim Nam-il, Yoo Sang-chul, Lee Eul-yong, Park Ji-sung, Hwang Sun-hong, Seol Ki-hyeon.

Poland: Jerzy Dudek, Tomasz Klos, Tomasz Waldoch, Tomasz Hajto, Michal Zewlakow, Arkadiusz Bak, Piotr Swierczewski, Radoslaw Kaluzny, Marek Kozminski, Emmanuel Olisadebe, Pawel Kryszalowicz.

Referee: Oscar Ruiz (Colombia).

- REUTERS

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