Choking For Dummies; a Manual

On paper, the Korea/Italy game in 2002 looked to be a done deal, regardless of what had happened to Portugal. A quick look at the talent on the Italian squad displayed an awesome pedigree. Vieri, Totti, Del Piero, Inzaghi, Zambrotta, Buffon, the list was endless.

Keep in mind this was all during Real Madrid’s recent heyday of overspending on talent, so the logic was, with the dollar value of such a team, who could stand against them? Both teams were confident, but who would prevail?

I watched the game from the rooftop of my building, looking down towards a projection against a white brick wall that was put on by a local church. If I’d been a betting man then, I would have put all my money on Italy. From the onset, the Koreans were simply outclassed. At 18 minutes, Vieri headed in a corner, and I predicted another couple of goals before half, if Italy could maintain their pace.

Problem was, they couldn’t.

Italy’s coach Trapattoni was notorious for overemphasizing defense, and in this game, it showed. Italy got their lone goal then decided to coast, preferring to maintain possession instead of finishing off the Koreans.

By about the 70-minute mark, the Italians were visibly worn out, and I could see that an equalizer was imminent. When Seol Ki Hyeon booted in the equalizer 2 minutes from time, I knew what the final outcome would be. An Ahn Jung Hwan golden goal sealed the Azurri’s fate. From the rooftops of Pusan, you could hear a roar across the whole city that resonated every which way. It was unbelieveable, and a true testament to the overall strength and endurance of the Korean National Team.

My thoughts on the Totti send-off? It was a 50-50 call. In such an important game, Totti would have been smarter to knock off all his diving, as he’d done so a few times during the game, but at the very least, I don’t think the whistle should have been called. A good referee would have just played on, but this one, Carlos Perreira decided to make an example of Totti. Had he not been sent off, and had Vieri not missed an open net, the Cinderella story would have ended right then and there.