Kim Seung-gyu's sacrifice frames South Korea's World Cup opener

South Korea open their World Cup campaign against the Czech Republic in Guadalajara on Friday, with kick-off coming in the early hours of the morning (1). Heung-Min Son, Kang-In Lee, and Min-Jae Kim are all expected to feature as the Taegeuk Warriors chase a result that could define their path out of the group. Much of the pre-tournament attention, however, has fallen on goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu, who made the agonizing decision to miss the birth of his daughter to be with the squad in Mexico. Now set for his fourth World Cup, the veteran stopper has said he hopes strong performances on the pitch will justify the sacrifice. That emotional weight will hang over everything when the whistle blows Friday.