Portugal face North Korea in re-run of 1966

Portugal and North Korea clash in a game crucial to their World Cup fortunes on Monday, reviving memories of their classic encounter at the 1966 World Cup.

The Portuguese were held to a goalless draw by Ivory Coast in their Group G opener while North Korea lost 2-1 to Brazil, but they won praise for putting up such a stellar fight.

The Koreans got almost everyone behind the ball to blunt Brazil’s natural samba flair and they will need more of the same if they want to tame Portugal and their captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

Their meeting comes 44 years after North Korea’s one-and-only previous World Cup appearance in 1966 when they staged a remarkable run to the quarter-finals only to be beaten 5-3 by Portugal.

That match witnessed one of the greatest World Cup comebacks ever, with North Korea up 3-0 before four goals by the legendary Eusebio helped his team romp to victory.

The odds Monday are stacked against the Koreans. They are ranked 105 in the world to Portugal’s three, but they showed enough mettle against Brazil to suggest it will be a close enocunter.

North Korea’s danger man is their Japanese-based striker Jong Tae-Se, who has attracted the attention of VfL Bochum, with the German side interested in signing him.

Jong plans to keep himself in the shop window and is keen to get on the scoresheet.

“I’m going to try to improve for the next game and score my first goal,” he said.

“Portugal are a top-class team, like Brazil, and it is going to be very hard but we’re going to keep trying to make it.”

While the pariah north Asian nation has proved its footballing credentials, it has also lived up to its reputation as being reclusive, with media access limited.

They cancelled a scheduled press conference on Friday, just hours after being confronted by rumours that four of their players – Kim Myong-Won, An Chol-Hyok, Kim Kyong-Il and Pak Sung-Hyok – had defected.

FIFA denied this.

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz, meanwhile, said his team need to be more aggressive than they were against the Ivory Coast, whose tactics were containment and then counter-attacks.

“We’ll need to take more risks in our next match and that goes for both teams,” he said.

“But it’s always difficult to play against a team that stacks its defense and waits for its opponent to make a mistake.”

He is expected to make one change, with midfielder Simao Sabrosa brought back in place of Danny.

A concern is Ronaldo’s goal-drought for his country with the world’s most expensive footballer not scoring in an official game since the 2008 European Championships.

But Ronaldo, who is on a yellow card and had his appeal against it turned down on Friday, remains confident.

“I would have far preferred to come away with three points against Ivory Coast than the man of the match award but we have to continue fighting,” said the Real Madrid star, who will miss their clash with Brazil if booked again.

“We now have to play North Korea, we still have every chance of making it into the next round.”

Defender Paulo Ferreira is equally optimistic, but he knows they need to move up a gear.

“Obviously, we need to play better in the second match and we know it?ll be difficult against North Korea, but we’ll give everything we have to get a victory,” he said.

Key to match

Cristiano Ronaldo v North Korean defence

North Korea are again expected to get men behind the ball to tame Portugal’s natural aggressive flair. Whether Cristiano Ronaldo, who has every available attacking attribute in his armoury, can breach the red wall could be key to this match.