New Zealand started crisply against a nation ranked one spot higher than their seventh. Nick Wilson carved out a great chance for Simon Child, but the Aucklander scuffed his shot.
That bright start quickly evaporated and, after a frustrating period of chasing shadows, Nick Haig was green-carded for a raised stick. In the immediate aftermath of his dismissal, a hopeful centering pass was deflected then volleyed into the net by You Hyo Sik.
New Zealand struggled to get anything going and even looked lethargic in the early morning heat. In the final minute of the half another ball was allowed to cross dangerously in front of goal and You picked up his second.
New Zealand knew Korea's main form of attack was the "crash ball" into the middle; dealing with it was a different matter.
Shane McLeod does not come across as a paint-peeling-off-the-walls type of coach, but this might have been the occasion to break the mould.
New Zealand started with a little more urgency in the second half but there is something about Korea's defence they have struggled to work out. At the recent Azlan Shah tournament, Korea scored one goal and that was enough to win.
They are quite happy to defend deep and watch the fullbacks and defensive midfielders pass pretty patterns, but they swarm on anybody receiving the ball in advanced position.
"They came out and half-courted us," said McAleese. "It means it is tough to go through 11 players, especially when you go down a goal.
"They can just kind of clog it up."
New Zealand endured a 30-minute period where they barely scraped together any meaningful possession in the final third of the pitch, let alone the circle.
Quite extraordinarily, there was not a penalty corner until the 56th minute and, although New Zealand ended up winning that count 3-1, each effort was repelled by a defence supremely confident in itself.
New Zealand's chances of progressing to the semifinals are severely compromised. To have any chance, they really need to win three of their remaining four games, which include No 2 and 3 in the world in Germany and the Netherlands, respectively.
Next up, however, is India, in the early hours of Thursday morning (NZT). Ranked 10th, the most successful team in Olympic history have to be beaten.
The other options might as well spell the end.
NZH dc ks
