Match Review & Highlights: Portugal 7-0 North Korea

June 21st, 2010 | by: Daryl | View Comments

North Korea kept this Group G game against Portugal competitive for the first 45 minutes, and went in at the break just 1-0 down. I’ve no idea what coach Kim Jong-Hun said at halftime, but if the North Korean players followed his speech to the letter, it appears to have been “Give up, and make as many fundamental defensive errors as possible”.

Portugal scored three in the first fifteen minutes of the second half, and three more before full time for a final scoreline of 7-0. Video of all seven goals below:

1-0 Raul Meireles:

2-0 Simao:

3-0 Hugo Almeida 56:

4-0 Tiago:

5-0 Liedson:

6-0 Ronaldo:

7-0 Tiago 88:

(All goals via TVGolo.com)

If the rumour that North Korean state TV is showing edited highlights of these games is true, then I wouldn’t like to be the one given the job of making this look good. The result does make North Korea’s narrow 2-1 defeat to Brazil look all the more impressive though.

For Portugal this means all but certain qualification. They’d have to lose heavily to Brazil and Ivory Coast would have to thrash North Korea to make up the goal difference. Which is a shame for neutrals, because now Brazil vs Portugal, which what was potentially the most exciting game of the group stage, will almost certainly be a bit dull.