06/25/2002
SEOUL, South Korea – Germany's cool determination overcame the will of
South Korea's team and the passion of its people.
Michael Ballack scored on the rebound of his own shot in the 75th minute
to give Germany a 1-0 victory Tuesday night, ending South Korea's dream
of becoming the first Asian team in a World Cup final.
The three-time champions, in the final for a record seventh time and
first since 1990, will play Brazil or Turkey on Sunday night in
Yokohama, Japan.
"It's a great achievement. I'm happy for the team, for the entire
nation," defender Christoph Metzelder said. "It just has to sink in
first."
The Germans have never trailed in the tournament. They weren't about to
give up that streak against the South Koreans.
Ballack's goal, his third of the tournament, stunned the cheering,
chanting, singing crowd of about 65,000. The red-clad "Red Devils" fans
then resumed singing for the home team, hoping they could will South
Korea to yet another upset of a European power.
South Korea's best chance was Lee Chun-soo's curling 15-yard shot in the
eighth minute, which was batted away by goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, who
dived to his right, fully extended.
The crowd groaned when South Korea's last best chance, Park Ji-sung's
shot in second-half injury time, went well high and wide right from the
top of the penalty area.
"We did our best. We are disappointed about the result, but we have no
regrets," captain Hong Myung-bo said.
"We have come this far due to the fervent support of our fans. We thank
them from the bottom of our hearts and we promise to do our best to the
very end."
South Korea, the first Asian team in the World Cup semifinals, will play
in the third-place on Saturday in Daeju. Brazil plays Turkey in the
other semifinal on Wednesday in Saitama, Japan.
Ballack's goal came after Oliver Neuville brought the ball up the right
side and crossed to the center. The initial low, right-footed shot from
about 13 yards was stopped by goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae, but the rebound
went right to Ballack, who scored with a left-footed shot from about 8
yards.
Four minutes earlier, Ballack got his second yellow card of the knockout
stage, for a foul on Lee Chun-Soo. As a result, Ballack will be
suspended for the final.
Kahn, regarded as among the world's top goalkeepers, had another stellar
game for his fourth straight shutout and fifth in six games. So did
midfielder Carsten Ramelow, whose runs upfield were among the few
exciting moments for a German team that has done just enough to advance
through the World Cup. Kahn has been the biggest reason, allowing just
one goal in six games.
Extended to 117 minutes before defeating three-time champion Italy and
then outlasting Spain in a penalty-kick shootout, South Korea could not
muster any great scoring chances in the second half.
Forward Ahn Jung-hwan was injured but came on in the second half. Seol
Ki-hyeon, another forward, was benched by South Korea coach Guus
Hiddink, who started 21-year-old Korea University forward Cha Doo-ri and
Hwang Sun-hong, in his fourth World Cup.
Cha, born in Germany, is the son of Cha Bum-kun, South Korea's 1986
World Cup captain, who scored 98 goals in the German Bundesliga. Korea
also was missing central defender Kim Nam-il, who has an ankle injury.
"We can be proud of the boys and what we did, not just tonight ... but
the long run of the tournament," Hiddink said.
"I don't want to look for many excuses. We were too respectful, but you
have to be realistic and say they're a little more experienced, and you
could see that at the end."
The South Korean players seemed stunned when the final whistle blew –
but for just a moment. They quickly headed to exchange jerseys with the
Germans in a show of good sportsmanship.
The fans, many who had hoped to go on to Japan this weekend, remained on
their feet, singing and chanting as South Korea's players went to each
of the four sides of the stadium, lined up together, and saluted them.
After two overcast days that marked the start of South Korea's rainy
season, the skies cleared for the game, played on the 52nd anniversary
of the start of the Korean War.
Seoul World Cup Stadium, beside a 663-foot water spay on the Han River,
was packed long before game time on the cool summer night.
Coming in, South Korea was hoping to just get to the second round and do
better than Japan, its co-host. But even though the South Koreans failed
to reach the final, the drama of their run and the accomplishment of the
unheralded team will long be remembered as one of the outstanding and
unexpected performances in World Cup history.
Spectators sang and shouted for more than an hour before the game,
urging their surprising team to beat yet another European foe, as it did
against Poland, Portugal, Italy and Spain. The only team it didn't beat
was the United States, which gained a 1-1 tie.
Just before the anthem, the fans held up red and white cards on one end
of the two-deck stadium, spelling out the Korean letters that translate
to "Dreams Come True."
During the anthem, they unfurled a 40-by-60-yard, 3,000-pound South
Korean flag, along with smaller flags and a huge banner that read:
"Thanks Kingdom of Netherlands/Hiddink" in honor of the Dutch-born coach.
Coming into the tournament, the South Koreans had been winless in 14
World Cup games.
Germany, represented by what was regarded as one of its weaker teams,
advanced from the first round with victories over Saudi Arabia and
Cameroon, and a tie against Ireland. The Germans then beat Paraguay in
the second round and the United States in the quarterfinals.