 |
| |
|
 |
 |
|
|
BUSAN, South Korea (Ticker) -- In its 15th World Cup match, South Korea finally recorded a victory. Hwang Sun Hong and Yoo Sang Chul struck for South Korea in its 2-0 triumph over Poland in the opening Group D match. Entering the 2002 tournament with an 0-10-4 record in its previous five World Cup outings, the co-host took a step toward its stated goal of advancing past the opening round for the first time. "I am very, very happy," Korea coach Guus Hiddink said. "I said many weeks ago that this team is going to the limit of our energies. "We had a little bit of luck. But the way we played a big European team, I'm very proud of my boys. But we had big support from our fans." Hwang collected his 50th international goal in the 26th minute, slipping the ball past outstanding Polish goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek off a cross from Lee Eul Yong to open the scoring. Yoo dispossessed Polish defender Tomasz Hajto, then doubled South Korea's lead eight minutes into the second half with a powerful 20-yard shot. The South Koreans maintained the unbeaten record of host nations in their opening matches of World Cups, improving the mark to 13-0-5. Dudek, who plays for Liverpool in the English Premier League, kept the scoreline respectable, pulling off a double-save on close-range shots from substitute Ahn Jung Hwan with six minutes left. "Korea were stronger than we expected," Polish midfielder Jacek Krzynowek said. "I think we played a balanced game for the first 15 minutes, but after that Korea came after us hard. "They had a home advantage with so many supporters cheering them on. I didn't expect such passion and enthusiasm from the Korean fans." The Korean fans turned the Busan Sports Stadium, which seats nearly 56,000, into a deafening sea of red, cheering throughout the match while holding up red placards. "Hiddink! Make our dream come true!," read one banner, among the sea of Red Devils, the nickname for Korean fans. The players were buoyed by their supporters from the start. Captain Myung Bo Hong's shot deflected off defender Tomasz Waldoch and went past the end line for a corner. The ensuing set piece saw Song Chong Gug swing in his cross for Seol Ki Hyeon, who bounced a header off the pitch and into Dudek's hands. Yoo, who plays for Kashiwa Reysol in the J-League, also came close to netting South Korea's opener 20 minutes in the contest. With the Polish defense retreating, he unleashed a 30-yard blast that traveled just wide of the right post. After the match, Hiddink said the Red Devils were not the only ones who were going to enjoy the moment. "There is nothing against celebrating," Hiddink said. "Our victory is the first (in) football history. We'll celebrate in a normal way. Once we've done that, as soon as possible we'll prepare for the next game." South Korea's next match is against the United States on Monday. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
