26-year-old star Jong Tae-Se says his theme for the World Cup is '1966 again'
26-year-old star Jong Tae-Se says his theme for the World Cup is '1966 again'
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Jong Tae Se of North Koreau00a0 (front) vies with Paraguay's Jonathan Santana during a friendly game ahead of FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa
North Korea's Japan-based striker Jong Tae-Se has vowed to bag a goal in every group game and shock the World Cup big guns as the team did in their only previous appearance in 1966.
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"After having beat the odds to win a ticket, we also want to produce results that will stun the world," said the 26-year-old Kawasaki Frontale centre-forward.
"Our aim is to advance from the group round and I will aim to score a goal in every match for three goals," he told Japanese media on Thursday as he left Tokyo to join his North Korean teammates training in Switzerland.
"I have prepared myself fully and I am determined. My theme is '1966 again,'" added Jong, nicknamed 'Asia's (Wayne) Rooney' for his combative style.
Jong was leaving with two other Japan-born ethnic Koreans in the J-League, Omiya Ardija midfielder Ahn Yong-Hak and Vegalta Sendai midfielder Ryang Yong-Gi.
Jong and Ahn helped the communist nation make a comeback to the big stage after their shock debut 44 years ago in England where they upset Italy with a single-goal victory before going down 5-3 to Portugal in the quarter-finals.
In a 'group of death' with five-time champions Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast, Jong will lead the North Korean attack with Hong Yong-Jo, who plays for Rostov in Russia -- the only Europe-based player in the squad.
"I know Brazil have an array of brawny defenders," said Jong, who has scored 12 goals in 20 matches for North Korea, famous for their tighly defensive football, since his international debut in 2007.
"But I want to penetrate them with the physical strength which I have built up in Japan as well as my crafty moves in front of goal."
North Korea have been training in Geneva for about two weeks. They lost to Paraguay 1-0 in a warm-up match on May 15.
They have two more warm-up matches against Greece in Altach, Austria, on May 25 and against Nigeria in Johannesburg on June 6.
They open their World Cup campaign against Brazil in Johannesburg on June 15.
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