On july 2012
Martin O'Neill watched his team succumb to a tenacious Seongnam side in their Peace Cup game at the Suwon World Cup Stadium. A first half Everton Santos goal was enough to secure the victory for the K-League outfit, who are already mid-way through their season.
The midfielder was in impressive form throughout the game and his 30th minute strike was a fair reward for such a man of the match display. After a number of half-chances earlier in the game the midfielder made no mistake and coolly slotted the ball past goalkeeper Simon Mignolet on the half hour mark.
The Black Cats fielded a strong side, with David Meyler being named in the line-up, getting only his second start under O'Neill. Titus Bramble and Michael Turner were paired at the back with Wes Brown slotting in at right-back. Jack Colback started the game at left-back with Meyler partnering captain Lee Cattermole in the centre of the park.
Striker duties were handed to Fraizer Campbell and Connor Wickham, whilst Mignolet, the only senior goalkeeper on the trip, was between the sticks. As expected, Seongnam started the brighter of the two teams. Sunderland went into the clash after just for training sessions; in comparison the highly-rated Korean side have played 21 league games already and sit 10th in the K-League.
Playing conditions were also in favour of the home side, with Seongnam regularly competing in temperatures around the 28 degree mark and 90% humidity. A number of early chances fell to Shin Tae Young's side, with Santos and Javier Reina causing Sunderland great problems up front. Kieran Richardson went close for Sunderland 15 minutes into the game, he had a shot from six yards out but was denied by the post, a theme that would recur on a number of occasions throughout the game.
Despite Sunderland being buoyed by that effort, Seongnam regained control. David Meyler and Craig Gardner had blocked the striker's previous efforts but Santos made no mistake on the half hour mark to put Seongnam in front. The deadly duo of Santos and Reina continued to terrorise Sunderland's backline throughout the second period. The Black Cats responded in the 64th minute when Wickham made a defence splitting run and pulled the trigger for his shot to be inches off target and bounce off the post.
Minutes later the spotlight was on Gardner. The midfielder was standing over the ball around 30 yards out with a seven man wall between him at Jeong-San's goal. The position of the free kick was not too dissimilar to the former Birmingham man's screamer of a shot that he converted at Wigan in the rain last January, unfortunately the outcome was not the same as on that wet night at the DW Stadium.
This time the crossbar intercepted the shot and denied Sunderland for the third time in the game.
As time ebbed away the manager made several changes and introduced a number of the younger members of the squad. Roarie Deacon and Blair Adams joined the action, before striker Ryan Noble replaced Fraizer Campbell.
However, the most effective substitution of the game was the introduction of new signing Carlos Cuellar. The Spanish defender player just under half an hour of the clash and had an immediate impact in steadying the Sunderland backline with a calm and assured performance. Three minutes added at the end of the game were still not enough for Sunderland to grab an equaliser.
Seognam's 1-0 victory over the Black Cats has booked them a place in the Peace Cup Final on Sunday. Meanwhile, Sunderland will play the runner-up of the FC Groningen and Hamburg tie, which takes place tomorrow, to compete for third place in the tournament.
Cuellar, satisfied
Carlos Cuellar is hoping to earn a start in Sunderland's second Peace Cup game this weekend after getting a taste of the action against Seongnam. The spanish made his debut as a second-half substitute against the K-League side as Sunderland suffered a 1-0 defeat.
The defender is well-known to manager Martin O'Neill with the pair having previously worked together at Aston Villa. But he acknowledges that the work to impress the Northern Irishman has begun all over again: "I feel good about my first game with Sunderland. I am so happy but the main thing is to get my fitness levels high", he said.
"The heat was tough to play in but that is no excuse. It actually helps you feel stronger in the future and improves your fitness and competitiveness. There are lots of characters in the squad and I am getting to know everyone and how they play. This trip has helped me a lot. Hopefully I can start the game on Sunday. I am still doing the same as always, working hard to try and play. If the manager says I start, I will be happy, but if not I will keep working hard to get that opportunity".
Data:
Seongnam: Jeong San Yun Youngsum, Lin Jongeun, Parque Jimpo (C) Woong Namgung, Chul Hong, Kim Sungjoon, Santos Everton, Pyungrae Kym, Javier Arley Reina Calvo, Parque Seyoung (Yoon Bitgaram 56)
Sunderland: Simon Mignolet, Wes Brown (Blair Adams, 72'), Titus Bramble (Carlos Cuéllar, 61'), Michael Turner, Jack Colback, Meyler David, Lee Cattermole (C), Craig Gardner, Kieran Richardson (Roarie Deacon, 72'), Campbell Fraizer (Ryan Noble, 79'), Connor Wickham.
Gol: 1-0 Minuto 30. Santos Everton
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