India, June 19 -- Lee Han-beom, the South Korea right back, scanned the pitch for options. He stood over a free kick in his own half and eventually decided to play a 30-metre pass back to his own goalkeeper. Keeping possession was important, and the Koreans were in the midst of a long streak of near-flawless passing.

From the 36th minute to the 40th, the only touch a Mexican player managed on the ball happened to be a clearance out of play. For the remainder of the half, Korea held a majority of the possession. But it all contributed to just one solitary shot at goal (way off the target).

One of the frequent criticisms of the Korean head coach Hong Myung-bo, captain of the 2002 squad that became the first Asian team to reach a World Cup...