Kazan Arena (Russia) (AFP) – South Korea coach Shin Tae-yong says his team have just a “one percent chance” of beating Germany and sending the holders tumbling out of the World Cup.
A 1-0 defeat to Mexico and a last-gasp 2-1 win over Sweden have left Joachim Loew’s team in danger of becoming the German side to exit at the first-round stage since 1938.
Germany can guarantee progress with a win by two clear goals on Wednesday but all four teams can still qualify from Group F, even South Korea, who currently have no points.
“Germany are a lot stronger than us, so it’s not going to be easy for us,” said Shin. “But the ball is round so I think there will be opportunities for us as well.
“Even if we have less possession than Germany we will do our utmost to beat Germany tomorrow.
“We have a one percent chance. It will be our last-ditch effort, but whether we go to the round of 16 or not we will do our utmost to win tomorrow’s game. The Korean people know this and I hope they will give us support as well.”
Tottenham forward Son Heung-min also played down the chances of an upset.
“I don’t know how I should answer,” he said when asked if South Korea could spring a surprise. “Of course, we want to do our best to get to the round of 16. They have to win, we have to win.
“They’re the world champions, they’re world number one. A lot of people didn’t think Mexico could beat Germany, so we will try to do our best and accept the result.”
South Korea are missing injured captain Ki Sung-yueng, who plays for Swansea.
“He (Ki) is a key player for our team. It’s not something we had planned for, so it really complicates the situation for us,” said coach Shin.
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