World Cup 2002
TV ClubHouse: archives: World Cup 2002
Flint | Friday, June 21, 2002 - 05:52 pm     Don't go all Italian now. Or I will be forced to ask if you want some cheese with that whine. The head of FIFA has stated that he wants some major changes to officiating. This could include using former players as referees. That might help, might not. There have been bad calls in just about every game to one degree or another. From what I have seen BOTH sides in the games have suffered from it in some way. I guess that means the referees are consistent in their making bad calls. Of course I, and a lot of others were cheering for Germany. For a change though it wasn't JUST because they were playing the US. Traditionally, I have always cheered for England and Germany. I had a couple of shots of Soju for you Gail. Korea vs Spain in 5.5 hours. |
Oregonfire | Friday, June 21, 2002 - 06:04 pm     I heard an English guy on NPR say that the U.S. played a very graceful game. He was extremely kind to the U.S. team, so they must've been good, as the English don't usually usually heap praise on the U.S. for any reason whatsoever. Don't have ESPN so am totally out of the loop. |
Llkoolaid | Friday, June 21, 2002 - 06:17 pm     So far I have been cheering for Ireland, England and U.S.A.. They all lost so yes, serve me some cheese with my whine please. I just picked the teams that I thought had the hottest players since Canada didn't even make it in. |
Flint | Friday, June 21, 2002 - 06:31 pm     Ireland was a pleasant surprise. Most people wrote them off after they lost their captain, including me. It was nice to be proven wrong, and to watch them play. |
Pottedplant | Friday, June 21, 2002 - 06:50 pm     well now that all my teams (USA, England & Ireland) have been knocked out, I want Senegal to win ;) I watched the England/Brazil match, & was very disappointed with the second half Eng. played. I did not see the USA match, but it clearly looks like they were robbed by the replays. |
Maris | Friday, June 21, 2002 - 07:04 pm     Ireland played badly in the first half of their last game. Their passing was lame and they missed some great penalty kick opportunities. That is why Spain who seemed much tighter and organized was able to beat them. The US played better than anyone expected and it supports my theory that The goalie is the most important player. US had some fantastic defense and hopefully they will be back next time. |
Flint | Saturday, June 22, 2002 - 07:42 pm     Daehan Minguk!!!!! Daehan Minguk!!!!! Bring on Germany!!! |
Llkoolaid | Saturday, June 22, 2002 - 08:20 pm     Yeah Bring them on and let's watch Korea slaughter them. My fingers are crossed.lol |
Flint | Monday, June 24, 2002 - 04:39 am     Buoyant S.Korea given World Cup holiday on July 1 SEOUL (Reuters) - South Koreans are being given July 1 as a holiday to celebrate their team's historic advance to the World Cup semi-finals. The holiday will take place regardless of whether South Korea reach the final by beating Germany on Tuesday, the Presidential Blue House said on Monday. Separately, South Korea also plans a country-wide festival on July 2 to celebrate the successful co-hosting of the tournament with Japan, the first time it has been held in Asia. South Korea became the first Asian country to reach the World Cup's last four after beating Spain 5-3 in a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals last Saturday. In the other semi-final Brazil play Turkey on Wednesday in Saitama, Japan. |
Flint | Monday, June 24, 2002 - 04:43 am     All the numbers on Germany and Korea by FIFAworldcup.com Germany and Korea are about to face each other in the FIFA World Cup™ for the second time since 1994 and for the first time in a semi-final. Both teams have played five games in these finals. Germany have spent 450 minutes on the pitch, considerably less than Korea’s 507 minutes. Rudi Völler has used 19 of the players in his squad, four of whom - Oliver Kahn, Michael Ballack, Torsten Frings and Thomas Linke - have played the full 90 minutes of every game. Guus Hiddink has used 16 players so far, with Choi Jin-Cheul, Lee Woon-Jae and Song Chung-Gug yet to be substituted. En route to the semi-final, Germany have scored an average of 2.6 goals per game and 13 goals in total. Only Brazil have scored more. Korea have scored the least goals of the four remaining teams in the competition. In reaching the semis for the first time, the co-hosts have notched up six goals in five games. Miroslav Klose is Germany’s top goal scorer with five goals in five games. Michael Ballack follows him with two goals. For Korea, only Ahn Jung-Hwan has found the net more than once, with two goals. Each of Korea’s other four goals was scored by a different player. Goalkeeper Lee Woon Jae had proved himself one of the pillars of the Korean team even before the penalty shoot-out against Spain. He has also earned his place as one of the best keepers of the tournament with 17 individual saves and just two goals conceded. German keeper Oliver Kahn remains one of the rocks of his team, too. Germany’s no. 1 has conceded just one goal so far, his safe hands in the quarters against the United States helping the three-times world champions to another FIFA World Cup™ semi-final. Germany are traditional exponents of a hard, physical game and rank an unsurprising fifth in the challenges table with 231 tackles. But few would have expected Korea to take fourth place with 234 tackles. With 69 tackles to his name, Seol Ki Hyeon has featured in more duels than any other player in these finals. Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose have been the chief targets of opposition fouls, with 28 apiece. Korea top the fouls table with 104 fouls, while Germany take third place with 100 fouls. A fraction of a second can determine whether a player is offside. Germany’s Carsten Jancker has found himself on the wrong side of offside nine times so far, while the flag has been raised against Korea only six times. Neither team has converted a penalty in normal time, but Korea has yet to miss one in a penalty shoot-out during this tournament, and that could prove critical if it comes down to a semi-final shoot-out. One thing is clear: most of the 63,961 fans in the Seoul World Cup Stadium will be wearing red t-shirts and supporting the "Red Devils“ – a massive advantage for the co-hosts. |
Flint | Monday, June 24, 2002 - 05:06 am     From the BBC Sport World Cup Page http://www.fifacup2002.com/ Cloud over Korean preparations By Stuart Roach BBC Sport Online's man in Korea Semi-final | Seoul Tue Jun 25 2002 | 12:30 BST Live on BBC Radio Five Live This should have been a day when South Korean football wallowed in the golden middle ground between their greatest triumph and their greatest challenge. After Saturday's quarter-final shoot-out win over Spain, Korea's preparations for their semi-final with Germany should have been carried out with relaxed smiles all round. Instead, the co-hosts are defending themselves against allegations of corruption. If you believe the Italians, the engravers have already inscribed South Korea's name on the golden World Cup trophy. If you believed the previous rumours, Guus Hiddink's remarkably fit squad have only come this far because of drugs to boost their stamina. There is an air of innocence that protects the Korean fans from such accusations. They are too caught up in the excitement to respond to any allegations of corruption. South Korea have ridden their luck to reach the last four in their own country, there is little argument about that. But conspiracy theories are a bit much. The inquest, conducted by the world's media, has been labelled a trial by the Korean press. And much evidence has been presented by the conspiracy theorists. Portugal had two players sent off in their final group match with Korea, whose 1-0 victory sent the Portuguese side packing. Italy, too, fell foul of a red card in the second round, Francesco Totti scandalously sent off for a perceived dive having already been booked. The Italians were also denied the chance of a winner when Damiano Tommasi was wrongly ruled offside. Decisions also went against Spain in Saturday's quarter final. But the three giants of European football all had chances to blow the conspiracy theories out of the water. Sergio Conceicao hit a Korean post in the dying minutes of the Portugal game - an inch to the right and Portugal would have been through at the expense of USA. Fernando Morientes also struck wood for Spain in golden goal extra-time on Saturday - an inch to the right and Spain would be lining up against Germany on Tuesday. And, most crucially of all, Italy's Christian Vieri missed an open goal that would have cut Korean celebrations short moments after Seol Ki-Hyeon's last-minute equaliser. Spain and Italy both had their chances to end the South Korean fairytale, having dominated their matches against the co-hosts. Decisions may have gone against them, but they can only truly blame themselves. "When you are a good team, you must punish a little team," said Hiddink. "We have some weaknesses and we gave away some presents in the Spain game - and maybe also against Italy - but they did not punish us." Hiddink, who is the first coach to lead two different teams to World Cup semi-finals, does not believe Germany would make the same mistakes. "Germany are a smart team and a team that needs only one or two chances to bring them victory," he warned. South Korea have almost single-handedly destroyed Europe's hopes at this World Cup with those memorable last three games. For the first time since 1978, there are only two European teams in the semi-finals. Previously, Europe had boasted 16 of the 20 semi-final places at the last five tournaments. But there has been a change in the tide at this World Cup. And that has nothing to do with conspiracy theories. |
Flint | Monday, June 24, 2002 - 05:06 am     Whistle-Packers Not Above Suspicion By JIM LITKE AP Sports Writer YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP)--On the eve of the semifinals, variations on the American cry ``We wuz robbed!'' litter the World Cup landscape. They cast suspicion on everyone packing a whistle and threaten to turn this event into another Olympic-scale figure-skating officiating mess. No one has asked FIFA to begin smelting another of those 9-pound gold trophies--yet. But no sooner did the overheated Italian newspapers stop calling for the heads of referees than the Spanish papers started. Funny, isn't it, how winners never need excuses and losers never come up with enough? After South Korea made Spain its third prominent European victim, the headline ``Robbery'' bannered every Madrid-based daily, from ABC on the right to the El Pais on the left. For once, at least, both sides of the political spectrum went to the same well for material. Embattled FIFA president Sepp Blatter is fighting accusations of corruption inside his regime, but he, too, found time to rip his own refs. ``A disaster,'' he called some linesmen, describing the officiating as ``the only negative aspect of this World Cup.'' Chimed in Pele, the most respected name the game has known, ``the level of referees is very poor, very low.'' Hard as that might be to argue, the officials have nothing on the parties they've supposedly harmed. Just hours after South Korean forward Ahn Jung-hwan headed home the winner against Italy, the owner of Italian team Perugia ordered Ahn to find another team for next season. Italian TV network RAI, meanwhile, is exploring a lawsuit against FIFA, contending negligence in selecting the referees. As if the point needed reinforcement, fans of the Azzuri zipped off 400,000 irate--and worse--e-mails to soccer's worldwide governing body. One, recalled FIFA spokesman Keith Cooper, ``suggested I perish as rapidly as possible.'' In an admirably measured response, Cooper said ``referees are only human.'' ``If the game was organized in a machinelike way, it would no longer be so interesting, and would you continue to be in love with the game if it was run like a machine? Would you continue to be in love with your wife or girlfriend if she were run like a machine?'' Added Cooper afterward, ``I thought that was a line that might appeal to most Italians.'' Apparently, it didn't translate well into Spanish. The chief of Spain's federation resigned Sunday from FIFA's referee committee in protest, and columnist Daniel Arcucci of the normally reserved Argentine daily La Nacion described himself ``shaking with anger'' when he demanded the World Cup ``should be annulled right now, declared null and void ... everything will be shrouded in doubt and suspicion.'' Conspiracies abound, and the most popular is that co-host South Korea benefitted from home-cooked refereeing because FIFA wanted an Asian team in the semifinals for the first time. Portugal, the first of the three overrated, underprepared European powers exposed by the hardworking Red Devils, flashed the conspiracy card when its players returned home to disgruntled fans waiting at the airport. Italy and Spain showed similar hands after succumbing in the cauldron of South Korea's stadiums packed by red-shirted fans. To be fair, the officiating has been terrible in stretches. Italy claims at least five goals disallowed over the course of three games because of bad calls and missed ones. Spain contends it lost three goals against Korea in its quarterfinal defeat alone. Replays show several of the claims have merit. But isn't that what separates soccer from the other sports? It's supposed to be less about justice than accepting fate and the hard circumstances of life. It's why goals are so precious and grievances so long-lasting, why errors by everybody involved are part of the folklore of the game. It's why the mention of Englishman Geoff Hurst's ``Wembley goal'' inspires disgust in Germans nearly 40 years later. And Maradona's ``Hand of God'' goal for Argentina in 1986 is still discussed in resigned tones by the Englishmen whose hopes it shattered. And so perhaps it's no coincidence that all of the semifinalists _ Germany, which plays South Korea; and Brazil and Turkey, who play each other for the second time in the tournament--have already been embroiled in officiating controversies of their own. The Germans advanced with a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over the United States, but not before defender Torsten Frings was accused of using his left arm to stop Tony Sanneh's header from crossing the goal line. No penalty kick was awarded, but veteran German goalkeeper and captain Oliver Kahn warned teammates not to get rattled if the same play is called the other way Tuesday night in Seoul. ``We may have one or two refereeing decisions against us. That's normal,'' Kahn said. ``It's called advantage. We must not let it demoralize us.'' ___ Jim Litke is the national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org AP-NY-06-24-02 0356EDT |
Llkoolaid | Monday, June 24, 2002 - 05:34 am     Very interesting Flint, thanks, I can't wait for the last games, I just hope it is a clean match with good calls all around. |
Flint | Monday, June 24, 2002 - 05:54 am     I agree, I hope the officiating is above reproach for a change. I doubt it will be, mistakes are always made. Everyone, including the refs are human. I have seen some of the questionable calls replayed on Korean TV. Some are VERY questionable, others are sour grapes and were right. Unfortunately, when people lose, they complain, and the rhetoric tends to be stronger than the truth at times. Honestly, any partisanship aside, it seems to me that the teams doing the most ocmplaining are just trying to explain their loss without accepting any responsibility. For every call against them there was one, or more against their opponents. They also benefitted from some of those bad calls their opponents received. It would be just as easy to sit and recite them as it is for the Italians and Spanish to do it. Except for one example I am not going to do that. If you watched the Korea-Spain game you will have noticed one Korean player with a funky face mask on. His nose was broken by an Italian player using a flagrant elbow in front of the referee. No penalty was called. The Korean is still playing, wearing a headpiece and in pain when he takes a hit, or heads the ball. But he will still play with that injury and Korea has not whined about what could have been a yellow or red card not being called. That was just one of many non-penalties that happened TO Korea. The Italians are notorious in world football, let alone in their own league, for diving to draw fouls. Totti did it, he got called on it, build a bridge and get over it. I have no sympathy for him, or Italy over his red card. Blatter, the head of FIFA, has NOT helped matters any by throwing his officials to the wolves. Instead of a calm measured response he is will to make scapegoats out of his officials so he won't get any blame. Maybe the members made the wrong choice re-electing him after all? I think Korea can take Germany. The Germans are bigger, and have been playing quite well. However, the Koreans have the speed advantage, incredible fitness, and the crowd. Maybe 3-1 is being overly optimistic, but I do think Korea can take the win. Brazil versus Turkey is getting harder to call. Brazil's number 1 goalie was injured in apractice game today. Considering the tough fight the two teams had before some bad calls in the group round, Turkey might have a bit of a chance to upset the current number 1 contender. I will still say Korea - Brazil in the final. I hope I am at least half right and Korea makes it. |
Flint | Monday, June 24, 2002 - 10:52 pm     One Step From A Shot at Glory By Eoghan Sweeney Chief Football Writer Anyone suggesting a month ago that South Korea would go through the first round of the World Cup undefeated was routinely subjected to sniggers and raised eyebrows. A prediction that, come June 25, they would be facing Germany in the semifinal would most likely have been enough to land them in a straitjacket. There are still some who refuse to accept that Guus Hiddink’s side have played their way to this stage of the tournament. The head coach and his talented, committed band of players will at 8:30 this evening treat their accusers with the contempt they have earned and focus 100 percent on taking the next step. Barring their way to a trip to Yokohama and a shot at becoming world champions are a team for whom this is routine by comparison. Guus Hiddink pointed out before his side faced Italy in the round of 16 that they were going up against a team who were not exactly beautiful to watch, but knew how to get the job done. Germany have over the years produced some of the most elegant players the world has known, and played some scintillating football, but above all have gained a reputation for grinding out results. The list of teams who thought they had beaten German sides, only to end up scratching their heads in frustration and wondering where it all went wrong, is a long one. If it is a hallmark of quality teams that they can get something out of games where they have not looked at their best, then the European powerhouse are past masters. That is not to say this current line-up are lacking in quality. Following a lackluster qualifying performance, which included the humiliation of a 5-1 home defeat by rivals England, Germany were written off by all, Germany methodically and steadily sorted their problems out in time for the finals. Some may call it typical cold Teutonic efficiency; a more appropriate explanation is the ever-present quality of preparation and application that have made the Germans one of the world’s most consistent sides. Nevertheless, despite their spectacular 8-0 win over Saudi Arabia in their first match, Rudi Voeller’s side have given plenty of ammunition to their critics, making it this far without providing much that will be used in post-tournament highlight footage. A draw with Ireland when they were punished for trying to sit on a single-goal lead was followed by a win over Cameroon that was by a long chalk the ugliest match of this World Cup. A yawner against Paraguay was partially redeemed when Oliver Neuville won the match with a beautiful finish two minutes from time. Along with Neuville, Polish-born Miroslav Klose has provided many of the team’s bright spots, and with South Korea having struggled in the air against Spain, the big striker may provide the key to victory. Germany’s strength in the air, both from open play and setpieces, promises South Korea’s defense a tough outing. With the physical power of players like Michael Ballack to contend with, the home side are bound to miss defensive midfielder Kim Nam-il, who looks unlikely to recover from the effects of a foul by Spain’s Romero in the quarterfinal. For South Korea, much will depend on the team’s powers of recovery and stamina. Guus Hiddink has used only 14 players in the five matches to date. Many have picked up injuries, and most looked very tired against the Spanish. Hiddink is almost certain to need the services of more members of his squad. Cha Doo-ri looked good against Italy, almost winning the match with a spectacular overhead kick. The Korea University student could probably fill in adequately for Seol Ki-hyeon, who appeared to be on his last legs in the quarterfinal. Elsewhere, there is depth _ Choi Sung-yong, Yoon Jung-hwan and Choi Tai-uk have all performed well in pre-World Cup friendlies _ but it may count against them that none have had the chance to test the waters since the tournament started. Of the three, Choi Tai-uk looks the most appropriate. The Anyang Cheetahs winger could stand in for Park Ji-sung , who in turn could drop back to central midfield, allowing Yoo Sang-chul to fall deeper into the space vacated by Kim Nam-il. Another alternative would be to move the superbly versatile Song Chong-gug into Kim Nam-il’s spot in front of the defense, and put Choi Sung-yong on the right. The abandon with which Hiddink has moved players around in the formation, however, probably means such speculation amounts to little more than entertaining guesswork. Changes are clearly needed, though. One major factor that cannot be discounted, however, is the boost South Korea’s flagging warriors will receive from playing in their backyard of Seoul. Only in Taegu (Daegu) did they play in front of more than the almost 64,000 who will be packed into the stadium in Sangam-dong. Unlike Taegu, the Seoul stadium is enclosed on all sides, and has no track surrounding the field. Germany’s appeal of Oliver Neuville’s yellow card received against the U.S.A. suggests they have one eye on the final; South Korea will, as they have throughout, focus their energies entirely on this match. This may not be the prettiest match of the 2002 World Cup, but with so much at stake, and with South Korea in the stadium the team all say is their favorite, it may be second to none in terms of excitement. Yokohama beckons. 입력시간 2002/06/24 17:59 From http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/times.htm |
Flint | Tuesday, June 25, 2002 - 01:56 pm     What a night of ups and downs, and more ups. Considering how fantastic Korea's run for the cup has been it is very hard to be disappointed in their performance last night. No one expected them to go as far as they did. The game was good. The best team won, unfortunately it wasn't Korea. There were no cries of despair, or whines of a fix being in place. There was no recrimination towards any players or officials. There was some depression, and then an outpouring of joy and satisfaction for how well the Korean team did. When the goal was scored no one blamed the goalie. The crowd at the bar started chanting something which translated to "It's ok.". When the game ended in a German victory the crowd started chanting "Good Game". The chanting wasn't as loud as usual, which was to be expected. For about an hour there was a kind of silence (compared to the noise of most nights) over the city. However, people snapped out of the funk and started partying again. Celebrating the magnificent effort of a team that few gave any sort of chance to. Considering the petty reaction of some of the "superstars" of world football, it was very nice to see. Daehan Minguk!!!!! |
Flint | Friday, June 28, 2002 - 06:59 pm     9 hours to game time. Korea vs Turkey. It should be a good game, and my hope is, of course, that Korea comes out on top. 2-1 Korea over Turkey. Tomorrow, Brazil should beat Germany for the World Cup gold. 4-2 Brazil over Germany. Regardless of the outcomes tonight the party is going to be great. Monday is a National Holiday for all Korea. Except of course at the hogwon I work at. Our director will have the day off, most of our students won't show up, but we have to be there. Oh well, getting paid to do nothing isn't that bad. |
Flint | Friday, June 28, 2002 - 07:05 pm     To South Koreans, playoff for third place will be anything but boring GYEONGJU, South Korea (AP) - They turn up everywhere - student fans who wave national flags, hold handwritten "I love you!" messages and play a hide-and-seek game with police who try to flush them from hotel corridors and elevators. It's the same outside the hotel where South Korea's World Cup team is staying. Fans shout the names of their favourite players until well past midnight, then start all over again at daybreak. Three days after South Korea lost 1-0 to Germany in the semifinals, South Koreans' love for their team has hardly cooled. It will be the same when Guus Hiddink's side plays Saturday (CBC, 7 a.m., live; TSN, Sunday, 3 a.m. delayed) for third place against Turkey in Daegu, a central Korean city. Hiddink knows about third-place games. He led the Netherlands to the semifinals four years ago in France, where his team lost to Brazil on penalties. Croatia then defeated the Dutch for third place with striker Davor Suker scoring his sixth goal to seal the golden boot. "It was not a nice experience. The game was under-motivated on both sides," Hiddink said. "It was just a game to play and go home afterward. . . . I don't think that in these circumstances here, it will be the same game. "We are obliged. The players feel that they should bring to the public, to the fans in and outside the stadium, a good performance one more time. I don't think it will be a boring third-place final." For millions of South Korean fans, Saturday's match will be a "little final." On match day, police expect huge crowds of red-clad fans to fill streets and plazas in Seoul again as if their "Red Devils" were playing in the real final. Koreas are hoping for what they call "the beauty of a meaningful end." "After their semifinal matches, I think both South Korea and Turkey are tired physically and psychologically," said Korean forward Ahn Jung-hwan. "But the match on Saturday will be tight and combative. We see a big difference between being third and being fourth." By becoming the first Asian side to reach the World Cup semifinals and outshining co-host Japan, which was eliminated in the second round, South Korea has achieved much more than it expected. The winning run has been a huge morale boost for South Koreans, who have long had an inferiority complex from being squeezed between China and Japan, which throughout history have invaded and subjugated Korea. South Korea had never won a match in its five previous trips to the World Cup finals. This year, it tied with the United States but downed Poland, Portugal, Italy and Spain to reach the semifinals. "They (fans) did a very big job in helping us," Hiddink said. "It's not a miracle; it's just a big, big achievement. . . . Korean people can be very proud of what the team has achieved. Korea is not a little nation any more." Turkey is also fired by an impressive showing in only its second World Cup final. Turkey lost 1-0 to Brazil on Wednesday in the other semifinal. Turkey's last and only other appearance in the World Cup finals was in 1954, the year South Korea also made its debut at the tournament. Turkey gave South Korea a 7-0 drubbing, but few South Koreans harbour bitter feelings, largely because Turkish troops fought and died for South Korea during the three-year Korean War that ended in 1951. |
Flint | Friday, June 28, 2002 - 07:08 pm     Reds will add some colour to bronze-medal World Cup match against Turkey SEOUL (AP) - The usual blues of the World Cup bronze-medal match will be pepped up with an avalanche of red. South Korea and Turkey play off Saturday (CBC, 7 a.m. EDT; TSN, Sunday, 3 a.m. EDT delayed) for third place after losing World Cup semifinals. Losing in the semis is a downer, but a World Cup full of upsets gives the third-place match a different perspective. South Korea got something positive from its 1-0 semifinal loss to Germany; a chance to bow out a winner at home in the World Cup it is co-hosting with Japan. South Korea wound up with the third-place game in Daegu as part of a series of trade-offs with Japan. Yokohama is host to the championship game on Sunday between Germany and Brazil. South Korea held the opening game on May 31 and also had its name first on FIFA's official advertising - the Korea-Japan World Cup. Guus Hiddink's squad wooed millions during its unlikely charge to the semifinals and will use the playoff to bid farewell to legions of flag-waving, chanting "Red Devils" fans. Winnipeg's Hector Vergara will work the sidelines Saturday as an assistant referee. South Korea, 0-10-4 in five previous World Cup finals campaigns, is 4-1-1 on home soil this time. It's likely to be Hiddink's last game in charge and, regardless of the outcome, he'll be sent out a hero. "We were disappointed to lose the semifinal," he said, even if reaching the last four "was very unrealistic and very unexpected four, five weeks ago." "I think it's good to be disappointed," he added, saying victories over Portugal, Italy and Spain proved the Koreans were capable of beating anyone. Hiddink was fine-tuning his squad Thursday at the ancient Korean capital of Gyeonju. The Turks also had unexpected success in their first trip to the World Cup finals since 1954 and were unbeaten except against Brazil. A Ronaldo special in the 49th minute gave Brazil the only goal in Wednesday's semifinal at Saitama, Japan. Four-time champion Brazil beat Turkey 2-1 in the first round as well. Senol Gunes said his Turkish squad had succeeded in "making an impact." "Being one of the teams in the semifinal is still a good thing," Gunes said. "Maybe we will get to the final next time." "For now we have another match against South Korea and we could still finish as the third best team in the world." The Turkish squad arrived Thursday afternoon at Daegu and wasn't planning to practice until the eve of the match. Turkey's colours are also red and white, so its small band of fans is likely to be vocal but nearly invisible. At the last three World Cups, the team that lost the bronze-medal playoff failed to qualify for the subsequent edition of soccer's premier event. Hiddink led the Netherlands to the semis in France four years ago, where a semifinal loss to Brazil on penalties knocked the wind out of the Dutch team. Croatia lost to eventual champion France in the other semifinal and returned to beat the Dutch for third place, with Davor Suker scoring his sixth goal to seal the Golden Boot. Hiddink quit as coach and the Netherlands didn't make it through European qualifying for a trip to Asia. In 1994, Sweden beat Bulgaria 4-0 for third place. The Bulgarians, who finished with back-to-back losses after upsetting defending champion West Germany in the quarter-finals, haven't been back to the finals. England lost to Italy in the third-place playoff in Italy in 1990 and then failed to qualify for USA '94. Germany remains the only country to win the bronze medal and World Cup in consecutive tournaments. The Germans edged Uruguay 2-1 for bronze in 1970 and then won at home four years later. Besides the passionate support of its fans, the Koreans have history in their favour. Six host countries have won the World Cup at home, while hosts have won the third-place playoff twice. Chile took bronze in 1962 and Italy edged England 2-1 for third place in 1990. The bronze-medal match has been played at all but two World Cups, the inaugural tournament that Uruguay won at home in 1930 and the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. |
Flint | Friday, June 28, 2002 - 11:04 pm     Experts dining on crow By KEN FIDLIN -- Toronto Sun TOKYO, Japan -- It has been a good World Cup to keep your opinions to yourself. Of course, few people have, especially those who fancy themselves to have some insight on the world of soccer. In this unsettled environment that has seen, for example, the defending champions humiliated without scoring a goal in three games, tossed aside in the first round, no prediction was safe. Then again, there were a few that were bang on. May 21: "This will be my last World Cup." -- Roy Keane, Ireland captain. Not so fast Roy. A bit more abruptly than he anticipated, he was dismissed from the team, 10 days ahead of his team's first match, for blasting coach Mick McCarthy. And when doom was predicted in the absence of the best player, perhaps, in Ireland's history, the team responded magnificently, ramming its way into the second round, deprived of a quarter-final berth by Spain on penalty kicks. May 22: "Seriously, no." -- Franz Beckenbauer, German legend, when asked if Germany could win the World Cup. More from The Kaiser later. May 27: "We are the team to beat." -- David Trezeguet, France striker. In one way he was right. They were the team to beat and it didn't take Senegal but 90 minutes to do it, starting France on its way out of the tournament faster than any defending champion in history. May 29: "The South Koreans will have a lot of support and it is overdue that they go beyond the first round after five qualifications. They will never have a better chance." -- Pele, Brazilian great and soccer ambassador to the world. May 30: "The success of this World Cup rests with the referees. They have to be brave enough to act. One of the problems in the past has been the selection of referees from all over the world for political reasons. "If we want the World Cup to be the showcase of all that is best in football, then we must have the most courageous referees, not the ones with the most powerful friends." -- Pele, again. Pele scores two in a row and earns the title of "prognosticator extraordinaire" for World Cup 2002. The South Koreans became the story of the tournament, bowing out only in the semi-finals. And the refereeing controversies have been the biggest influence on the course of the upsets all along the way. Bang on. May 31: "I think France will meet Italy in the final." -- Former French great Michel Platini. If they do meet, it will probably be in a bar somewhere in Europe. Both teams have been home for a while now. ROUTED June 1: "The Germans will be treated the Algerian way." -- Sami Al-Jabar, Saudia Arabian striker, predicting Germany's demise. Sami was talking about a repeat of Algeria's 2-1 shock upset of Germany in 1982. The next day, Germany hammered the Saudis 8-0 in one of the most one-sided World Cup finals results ever. Whoops. June 6: "The English are absolutely terrified. They are quaking in their boots." -- Diego Maradona, Argentine legend, on the eve of the England/Argentina grudge match. Maradona could be forgiven because he was a bit out of touch, hanging out in Cuba at the time but that day, England delivered Argentina a savage blow, winning 1-0. June 10: "I think Germany and Argentina will square off in the 2002 World Cup final." -- Beckenbauer. The Kaiser, as you might have guessed, is a guy not married to his opinions. June 14: "South Korea is a bit naive. With the right kind of malice, we can win." -- Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni. Who's naive now? With the aid of referee Byron Moreno, Italy was eliminated in extra time. June 14: "It looks like Brazil will emerge as the winner again." -- Beckenbauer. Whatever, Franz. "June 27: "I have a feeling telling me that we will be the World Cup champions. I can't really explain why." -- Oliver Kahn, Germany captain. Stay tuned on that one. Kahn has been the glue that keeps the German ship afloat, as well as keeping Beckenbauer dining out on crow. |
Flint | Saturday, June 29, 2002 - 05:33 pm     Turkey won. 3-2 Turkey over Korea. No remorse, no regret, no recriminations. Just a damn good party all night. Time to go to bed now. Daehan Minguk!!!!!! |
Flint | Tuesday, July 02, 2002 - 07:43 pm     2 July 2002, 17:40 Seoul - Tokyo Korea Republic win Most Entertaining Team Award by FIFAworldcup.com Users of FIFAworldcup.com have elected Korea Republic as the most entertaining team of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™. Korea garnered 61% of the votes. Click here to go to the Most Entertaining Team Award page. A total of 365,619 fans from around the world took part in the poll to choose from the six nominated teams which had played the most attractive brand of football at the first finals to be held in Asia. Korea Republic finished ahead of the competition with some 61% of the votes cast. República de Corea 61% (226.636 votos) Turquía 19% (70.300 votos) Brasil 8% (32.002 votos) Senegal 5% (19.564 votos) República de Irlanda 2% (10.071 votos) Alemania 1% (7.046 votos) |
Flint | Saturday, July 06, 2002 - 09:01 pm     This is the first weekend since the World Cup ended. Many people feel kind of lost. It seems strange not to be heading to Jae Yu Boen to watch a game and party. Very strange actually. Sure, people can get together for other reasons. However, the special feeling, the joie de vivre that swept the country is missing from those gatherings. You will see some people who try to rekindle the feeling. Some Daehan Minguk chants will start out of the blue in clubs. It isn't the same. Then again, after a month of almost non-stop partying maybe everyone just needs a rest to recharge their batteries. I hope that is all it is. |
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