The Bubble Bursts; South Korea vs. Germany–World Cup 2002

I loved this game for all the reasons the people around me hated it; not that Korea lost, but that it was a return to the 1990 West Germany squad that I knew and loved (although they relied far too much on set-pieces, for the most part; the ‘90 squad had so much firepower they could have steamrolled just about any team shot for shot).

Going into this game, Germany had had a very strange run. They demolished Saudi Arabia 8-0, they tied Ireland 1-1, and beat Cameroon 2-0. The English rags were convinced that it would be England’s chance to shine (as they always predict) especially considering the 5-1 drubbing they’d administered the Germans at Wembley Stadium during the qualifying rounds. Who knew that Germany would make it this far?

To be fair, Germany did have a weaker group than most, not to mention an easier run to the semi-finals, having to beat Paraguay, and the USA by two back-to-back 1-0 scores. But if you actually watched those games, you could see that Rudi Voeller’s plan of attack was old-fashioned and typically pedestrian, with a 3-5-2 formation that worked like a charm (for the most part); the Germans had a few things going for them in this match. Namely that Korea had just gone through two games in extra time and were not given as much time between matches, and a decided height advantage during long-ball exchanges.

I neglected to mention the man of the tournament, herr Ollie Kahn, who was in stellar form up until the very last match.

The rhythm they set during this game wasn’t pretty, but it was very effective. They dominated possession and probably should have scored a few more goals, but in the end, one was all they needed. Michael Ballack picked up a nifty pass from Oliver Neuville and slotted in his own rebound.

To their credit, Korea never really gave up, but they’d been fielding the same starting 11 for a few matches, and it showed. They just had nothing left in the tank. I saw that in the game against Spain, and it was really obvious against Germany. Both teams would end up agreeing afterwards.

When it was all over, most Koreans were consoled by the fact that they still made it so far (and against all expectations). They weren’t mad at the German fans, they weren’t crying in the streets. They simply went around chanting, dancing, and praising the new high priest of Korean football, Guus Hiddink. Besides which, in a few days, they’d try to save a little face against Turkey in their 3rd place match. I was quite proud of Busan’s reaction, although that would change a few years later when Germany embarked on an Asian ‘friendly’ tour, and the spectators here booed the opposition every time Germany gained possession.

But I digress; that’s another story altogether.