A Difficult, Balanced Group, Paulo Bento Says after World Cup Qualification Draw
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – South Korea football team coach Paulo Bento said they have been drawn in a difficult and a balanced group in the next qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
South Korea, world No. 39, will be in Group A with Iran (31st), Iraq (68th), the United Arab Emirates (73rd), Syria (79th) and Lebanon (93rd).
In an online interview following the draw, Bento called Group A "a difficult and a balanced group."
He said he was ready to accept the draw for what it was and move on to his preparation rather than dwell on it.
“We should know as well that (in) the last two qualifiers, 2014 and 2018, the (South Korean) team had a lot of difficulties to qualify,” Bento told Yonhap news agency. “I think that is a good experience for us. We learned from what happened in the past.”
“The most important thing is to think about what we can do and what we can develop with our players. It's not good to compare our team and our players with our opponents,” the Portuguese added.
There will be pressure on South Korea to extend their string of World Cup appearances, and Bento said he's accustomed to high expectations from fans there.
“The pressure for the coaches will be present every time, in all the moments,” he said. “This is one more moment to compete and to enjoy. Respecting all the teams in our group, we'll try to do our best and achieve our goal.”
