 |
| |
|
 |
 |
|
|
S. Korea puts Asian soccer on map
DAEGU, South Korea (AP) -- South Korea hadn't won a match in five previous trips to the World Cup and not even its most die-hard fans could have anticipated a semifinal place and victories over some of the top soccer nations. By making it into the last four of the World Cup, South Korea put itself -- and Asia -- on the soccer map. The Koreans' storybook run at the tournament ended in fourth place after a 3-2 loss against Turkey on Saturday in the bronze-medal match. Along the way, they tied the United States and downed Poland, Portugal, Italy and Spain -- only to be stopped 1-0 by Germany in the semifinals. No Asian country had ever gone so far in a World Cup. "It's not a miracle. It's just a big, big achievement," said Guus Hiddink, the Dutch head coach. "The Korean players impressed the world with their style, the way they played spontaneous football ... the way they always try to make a goal as soon as possible." Hiddink says he expects South Korea's success to have a big influence in the rest of Asia. "I hope other nations will follow the Korean example," he said. "It's not just by accident that the Korean team has improved so fast; it was structured. I think many countries can do that." On paper, the gulf between the South Koreans and some of their illustrious opponents was huge. The combined salaries of the 23 South Korean squad members fell short of the income earned by some individuals at top European clubs. But its squad dogged opponents with unrelenting attacks and whippet-like speed. Hiddink said South Koreans' eagerness to succeed and learn was the key. "I demanded that they be tough, and they responded very well, and they learned fast," he said. South Korea entered this year's tournament with the stated goal of reaching the second round. But even that raised a few eyebrows. Hiddink's rigorous workouts started paying off just weeks ahead of the World Cup finals. The squad outlasted most opponents, making the defense tighter and the offense sharper. South Korea took the benefits of being a co-host to the hilt. In each match, raucous fans waving giant national flags and beating gongs and drums turned stadiums into cauldrons of red, the team color. There was controversy along the line, too, as both Italy and Spain complained that their apparent goals were nullified by questionable officiating. The march to the last four leaves a lasting impression on the country. "No, I didn't watch soccer on television before the World Cup. I could not understand those boys running after the ball," said Po Soon-bun, a 68-year-old grandmother. "But now I read every World Cup article in the newspaper. It's amazing what soccer can do to you." The number of fans flooding streets, parks and plazas across the nation soared from 1 million for the June 4 opener to 7 million for South Korea's semifinal match against Germany last Tuesday. For Saturday's playoff, about 4 million turned out in streets across the nation, according to police estimates. The 65,000-seat stadium at Daegu was a sellout. "The Korean public did a tremendous job helping me and the team achieve what we have achieved," Hiddink said. The Dutchman became the first coach to guide two different nations to the semifinals -- the Netherlands in 1998 and South Korea in 2002. Just a "foreigner" when he arrived in South Korea 18 months ago, he is now a Korean hero. "Korea has stolen my heart in a very short time," he said. "Korea is in my heart. I never leave Korea in that sense." After Saturday's match, South Korean players knelt and made deep Korean bows, their heads touching the pitch. Hiddink bowed deeply, standing up. Stadium fans exploded with chants: "Hiddink! Hiddink!" and "Dae Han Min Guk!" -- "Republic of Korea!" "I like to thank the Korean people. 'You are the No. 1 in the world sport,"' he said. (choe-jp) |
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
