The Koreans dominated the match for 85 minutes and led comfortably
thanks to two goals from Jeju United's 21-year-old midfielder Koo Ja-cheol
which were both aided by mistakes from the Gulf side.
Faouzi Aaish then made it a needlessly nervy last five minutes
for the Koreans after he converted a penalty following defender Kwak Tae-hwi's
dismissal for bringing down substitute Abdulla Al Dakeel in the area.
However, the twice Asian champions resisted the pressure to record
a fully-deserved win in front of the watching AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam
at a chilly Al Gharafa Stadium.
The Red Devils took the lead five minutes before halftime when
Koo's right-footed strike near the penalty spot was deflected past Bahrain
goalkeeper Mahmood Mansoor by his team mate Abdulla Marzooqi.
The second came seven minutes after the break when Mansoor could
only parry Cha Du-ri's dipping 20-meter drive back in front of his goal to
allow Koo a simple tap in from inside the six-yard box.
Bahrain offered little in attacking threat throughout the match
with their coach Salman Shareedah providing the most entertainment.
The recently appointed bespectacled coach prowled the edge of
his technical area as if trapped like a mime artist, demonstrating various
frustrated poses in his grey suit.
He was given hope, however, when central defender Kwak fell into
Al Dakeel with the referee producing a straight red card and awarding the
penalty.
The Koreans have qualified for seven successive World Cups but
have struggled in the 16-team regional competition after winning the first two
editions in 1956 and 60.
Their fans will hope that wait is coming to an end after a confident
display against a side who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the last two
World Cup finals in playoffs and had been expected to cause them problems.
The result puts the Koreans on three points in Group C, level
with Australia who earlier thrashed lowly India 4-0 at the Al Sadd Stadium.
