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South Korea ousted once again
SEOUL (Reuters) -- The Confederations Cup hardly proved a resounding success for co-hosts South Korea but wins over Mexico and Australia at least raised their spirits after the humiliation of a 5-0 loss to France in their opening match. The Koreans finished level on six points with world champions France and Australia in Group A of the eight-team World Cup warm-up tournament but behind on goal difference. That left them in a depressingly familiar situation -- out of a major international tournament at the first hurdle despite their 2-1 win over Mexico and 1-0 win over Australia. South Korea started the competition with high hopes, eager to see how things had changed since Dutch coach Guus Hiddink became the first foreigner to take the top job in Korean football in January. In the event, there were echoes of the 2000 Olympic Games when Korea was dismantled by a technically superior opponent in their first outing. In Sydney, Spain had done the damage with three first-half goals. This time it was the French. France had opened a 3-0 lead by halftime and even had the luxury of missing a penalty before adding two more goals for good measure to leave the team, the public and the media stunned by the ease with which the French had dismissed their side. Hiddink also appeared to be feeling the pressure, chastising a reporter at a training session for asking what he called a "stupid question." But the Koreans regrouped and dominated Mexico two days later, although it took a dramatic last-minute strike from Yoo Sang-chul to seal the victory. The euphoria was dampened with the news that France, fielding none of the players who had swept Korea aside, had been beaten 1-0 by Australia. That result meant South Korea had to beat Australia by four goals to reach the semifinals and they had to do it without Yoo, who had played almost an hour against Mexico with a broken nose. The Koreans beat the Australians 1-0 in a spirited, if occasionally bad-tempered, display. But the scoreline, added to France's 4-0 dismissal of Mexico, meant Confederations Cup 2001 was added to a long list of gallant South Korean failures. Hiddink, however, seemed pleased on Sunday night, despite their elimination. "This team has come a long way since January, both technically and tactically, and I am sure we will continue to improve. The World Cup is still a year away and I want to fix up some more tough games between now and then," he said. "We might not win them but that is how you get better. I am sure the fans understand this and will stay with us all through to the 2002 finals." But Hiddink complained that if France had taken the game against Australia seriously and French coach Roger Lemerre had not played a reserve side, the outcome might have been different. The consensus among South Koreans seems to be that, while things are heading in the right direction, improvements may not be happening fast enough to avoid earning a dubious place in history as the first World Cup host nation to fail to make it beyond the first round.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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