Korea football team stuck in limbo

There is a well-known saying, "comparison is the thief of joy." The meaning is self-evident, and just 24 hours after Korea lost 3-2 to Saudi Arabia, rival Japan defeated Brazil by the same scoreline. The saying does not quite apply, however, as there wasn’t much joy to be stolen anyway. It is a sober reminder of the gap between the Taeguk Warriors and the Samurai Blue. It was the second time in 13 months that Japan has defeated the five-time world champion and the first time in 21 years that Korea has lost to the team from Riyadh. It was a deserved defeat. Saudi Arabia was the better team for much of the match against the lackluster visitor. In last week’s column, I wrote that Korea’s results in this international break did not matter so much, but that was a mistake. Tuesday’s game against Qatar is now hugely important for the team because it is hugely important for coach Robert Moreno. It is the last of Moreno's six games that he has to prove himself. Of the five so far, there have been two wins, a draw and two defeats. Friday’s was the worst. Saudi Arabia started the game ran