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'Baptism of fire' does not quite cover it.
Shin replaced the fired Uli Stielike in July in the wake of
shocking defeats to China and Qatar and while his side occupy
Group A's second automatic qualification spot for the 2018
finals, there is no room for error.
Unbeaten Iran (20 points) have already booked their ticket to
Russia as group winners, while Korea (13) have Uzbekistan (12),
who play China on Thursday, breathing down their neck a point
behind in third.
Victory over Iran at Seoul World Cup Stadium would ensure the
Koreans need only avoid defeat against the Uzbeks in Tashkent,
should the White Wolves beat China, in their final qualifier to
secure that second automatic berth.
However, after four straight 1-0 defeats to the Iranians, South
Korea will have their work cut out, and Shin is determined to
get on the front foot early.
"We can't allow Iran to score first," Yonhap News quoted him as
saying at a recent news conference. "We have to get the opening
goal, that way we don't have to worry about them trying to play
mind games with us."
It has been a rocky qualification campaign for the Koreans, who
have been in something of a tailspin since reaching the Asian
Cup final in 2015.
Injuries to key players such as Tottenham Hotspur's Son
Heung-min and Swansea City's Ki Sung-yueng certainly took their
toll, but as a whole, the side have looked disjointed and
nervous since the start of the third qualifying round.
"Disjointed" and "nervous" are not words that could be applied
to Thursday's opposition.
The Iranians have been Asia's standout team over the last year,
racking up six wins and two draws in their eight qualifiers
without conceding a single goal, and rising to 24th in the FIFA
world rankings.
Powerful and confident, Iran would certainly not be cowed by the
home support, coach Carlos Queiroz said.
"I think it will be a little bit easy for us to play," Yonhap
quoted Queiroz as saying. "Usually at home, we play with 100,000
(fans), so it's easier for us to play with 60,000."
Iran, who became the second nation after five-times champions
Brazil to qualify for the World Cup, were thriving on the
growing competitiveness of the Asian region, added Queiroz.
"It's much better for Asia to have six or eight competitive
teams. Rivals give a lot of fun, and a lot of entertainment, and
I think this is what fans like to see." (Editing by John
O'Brien)
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