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| June 15, 2002 | Saturday | Rabi-us-Sani 3, 1423 |
South Korea leave Figo, Portuguese in tears
INCHON (South Korea), June 14: Co-hosts South Korea, roared on by a passionate crowd, reached the second round for the first time when they beat nine-man Portugal 1-0 and dumped them out.
Portugal, one of the pre-tournament favourites, went out amid huge controversy after key midfielder Joao Pinto and defender Beto Severo were both sent off.
“We did not agree with the referee’s decisions but there’s no point going on about that now,” a shattered Portugal coach Antonio Oliveira said after his multi-talented side’s second defeat in their three group D games.
World player of the year Luis Figo and other Portugal players left the pitch in tears.
The 71st minute goal from Park Ji-Sung five minutes after the second red card sent the stadium into raptures and put the Koreans in the last 16 with co-hosts Japan, the first time the two teams from Asia have made it through the first round.
The Portuguese campaign finished in disarray when Joao Pinto was dismissed in the 27th minute after crashing in from behind on Park.
Joao Pinto had to be calmed down and led from the pitch after arguing with Argentine referee Angel Sanchez.
Portugal defender and captain Fernando Couto held Sanchez by the face as the players argued with the referee over the decision, losing their composure in an intense atmosphere, fuelled by the screaming of 50,000 Korean fans.
In the 66th minute Beto was sent off for his second bookable offence, a foul on midfielder Lee Young-Pyo.
Portugal, who had just one victory, came close to equalising on several occasions, late on through Nuno Gomes and Sergio Conceicao who hit the post.
Both teams came close to scoring in the dying minutes of the game, in which referee Sanchez handed out a total of five cards as well as the red cards in an intense atmosphere in the Inchon stadium.
Before the tournament began, South Korea had not won a single World Cup game in their previous five finals and were expected to struggle to get past the first-round.
But a 2-0 defeat of Poland in their opening game, a 1-1 draw with the United States and Wednesday’s victory has steered them towards a second-round clash with Italy.
Park took his goal well cutting in from the right to shoot through the legs of Portugal keeper Vitor Baia.
Portugal came to the tournament having scored more goals than any other European country in the qualifying.—Reuters
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