South Koreans throw off spies with quick switch

Cheaters never win. Or so they say. The proverb may have been disproven Monday as Sweden fought to a 1-0 victory against South Korea after a Swedish assistant admitted he spied on the opponents’ training sessions from a rented house.

The same scout gained access to a closed training session before the match, but South Korea coach Shin Tae-yong was on to it, and he revealed he deliberately switched the jersey numbers of players to confuse the Swedish staffer.

“They might know a few of our players, but it is very difficult for Westerners to distinguish between Asians and that’s why we did that ,” Shin told reporters.

Th e scout had been kicked out of an earlier session after trying to convince the staff he was a tourist, and his actions created a tense atmosphere between the teams before the game.

But it seems the “long car journey” the scout took up to the house was worth it.

Sweden prevailed in a tight, scrappy affair Monday in which both teams had chances to win, but the Swedes outshot South Korea 15 to five.

The l one goal of t he match came in the 65th minute, after Sweden was awarded a penalty via video-assisted referee.

Defender Andreas Granqvist calmly slotted the ball in, as his team managed to hold on for the rest of the match and secure a vital three points.

Sweden will next face defending-champion Germany, while South Korea will face joint-group leader Mexico after its impressive victory against the Germans.