(LEAD) S. Korea to host New Zealand in veteran defender's int'l swan song

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SEOUL/PAJU, March 30 (Yonhap) -- Veteran South Korean football defender Cha Du-ri will bid adieu to international play on Tuesday, when his team hosts New Zealand in the nation's capital.

The friendly match between the 56th-ranked South Korea and the 134th-ranked New Zealand will kick off at 8 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Cha, 34, will be making his 76th and final international appearance for South Korea. He'd earlier announced his retirement at the conclusion of the AFC Asian Cup in January in Australia but head coach Uli Stielike called him up one last time to give the energetic fullback a chance to get his swan song on home soil.

Stielike has said he plans to start Cha and substitute for him toward the end of the first half, an arrangement that would allow fans to give him an ovation as he leaves the pitch. Then during halftime, the Korea Football Association (KFA) will hold a retirement ceremony for Cha, who has represented South Korea at two FIFA World Cups.

With South Korea favored to beat New Zealand, Cha could leave the national team on a winning note -- his final Asian Cup match was a 2-1 loss to Australia in the championship final.

Speaking to reporters Monday at the National Football Center (NFC) in Paju, north of Seoul, Stielike asked the fans to give Cha a loud ovation befitting the "legend."

"Cha Du-ri is still an active player, and rather than have him sit in the stands and come down at halftime (for the ceremony), I decided it'd be better to have him play in the match," the coach said. "The fans should know how to say goodbye to a legend like him."

South Korea, though, must step up its game to give the veteran a proper sendoff. It is coming off an uninspired 1-1 draw against Uzbekistan last Friday. Attacking midfielder Koo Ja-cheol scored his first international goal since last June but the rest of the team was otherwise flat at Daejeon World Cup Stadium.

South Korea takes an undefeated record against New Zealand with five wins and one draw all-time.

This will be South Korea's final game before the Asian qualifying matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup begin in June.

Stielike said that although South Korea may be favored on paper, the team can still give his side trouble.

"I've studied New Zealand's past two most recent matches (in November)," Stielike said. "New Zealand lost to Thailand 2-0 but actually outplayed the opponent and had more scoring chances. And then it held China to a draw. New Zealand may not be as skilled as Uzbekistan but will still put plenty of pressure on us."

Stielike had already been shorthanded before the match against Uzbekistan and the situation hasn't improved. Forward Ji Dong-won, who sat out Friday with a sprained ankle, will be available Tuesday. Yet the only other forward on the team, Lee Jeong-hyeop, had his forehead bloodied after a collision with an opposing player and had to leave the match after only 32 minutes. He had stitches above his left eye and may watch Tuesday's match from the bench.

Stielike said he will give Ji the starting nod for Tuesday, but he also said he's pleased with Lee Jeong-hyeop's play so far and that Ji will only be given a temporary opportunity to play because of his recent form.

Defensive back Jeong Dong-ho, making his international debut Friday, suffered a sprained hip during that match and has since returned to his pro club, Ulsan Hyundai.

Against Uzbekistan, Son Heung-min wasn't close to his dynamic self. In his stead, Lee Jae-sung, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors midfielder playing in his first international contest, filled in ably as the offensive force. With midfield mainstay Ki Sung-yueng starting the night on the bench, Kim Bo-kyung, playing for Stielike for the first time, did yeoman's work on both ends as the central midfielder.

In net on Friday, Stielike started Kim Seung-gyu, a backup during the Asian Cup, and is expected to go back to his No. 1 custodian, Kim Jin-hyeon, on Tuesday.

The KFA said Cha will receive a special uniform with his number 22 and his name, spelled "CHA Duri," engraved in gold, along with a gold pair of spikes.

The KFA said it had earlier planned to let Cha wear the uniform for the match, but it ran counter to a FIFA regulation that the players on the same team must wear the same type of uniform and spikes.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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