Millions celebrate South Korea's win
By BURT HERMAN
Tue, June 13, 2006
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - More than two million South Koreans turned the country's streets red into the early hours Wednesday, wearing their national soccer team's blazing signature colour as they celebrated their first-ever World Cup away victory.
About 2.18 million people - including 640,000 in the capital, Seoul - took part in outdoor street parties to cheer the South Korean team on during their 2-1 victory over Togo, the National Police Agency said.
The night was lit up at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, with fans wearing red T-shirts and illuminated red devil's horn headbands, representing the official "Red Devils" fan club, as the country's soccer supporters are known.
The throngs of fans fell soberly quiet when Togo's Mohamed Kader opened scoring in the 31st minute. But they got back into the spirit after Lee Chun-soo equalized in the 54th with a goal punctuated in Seoul by fireworks.
The crowd went wild when Ahn Jung-hwan scored the winner in the 72nd minute.
South Koreans hope their team can replicate their 2002 performance, when the then-co-hosts of the tournament made a surprising run to the semifinals. Before the World Cup came to their home country, the South Koreans had never won a match ever at the quadrennial event.
The South Korean team is out to prove 2002 wasn't a fluke bolstered by the boisterous crowds at home, who hope their support this year will still be felt from halfway around the world.
Despite the win, some fans were cautious about their team's prospects. Togo's captain Jean-Paul Abalo was sent off in the 53rd after receiving a second yellow card for bringing down Park Ji-sung - giving the Koreans a one-man advantage for most of the second half.
"We were kind of lucky to play against only 10 Togo players," said Huh Sun-jeong, 26, who was selling T-shirts embedded with blinking lights. Still, she said she was "very sure that we will go the semifinals again."
Lee Jeong-whan, 20, lamented that the team was making its campaign this year without Guus Hiddink, the Dutchman who coached the South Koreans in 2002 but is now managing Australia's national squad. Another Dutchman, Dick Advocaat, was named as South Korea's coach last September.
"The reason we did so well in 2002 was Hiddink - but now we don't have him," Lee said. "Advocaat hasn't been with us for a long time, he doesn't trust in the ability of his players as much as Hiddink did."
Others were less reserved.
"I knew we made it. I am extremely happy," said Kim Young-ha, 20, a college student. "Our team will beat France and go to the next round."
The other team the Koreans will face in group play is Switzerland.
Before 2002, soccer was a relatively unknown sport here. But since then, the national team's fortunes have become an obsession shared by nearly all - infused with the patriotic pride felt so strongly by most Koreans.
Even prisoners are being allowed to get in on the hype. The Justice Ministry said inmates would watch the match, despite it happening well after normal bedtime.
What's more, there will likely be cheering for South Korea's team across the border in the North - but with a delay. The communist country's TV has requested the South's help to receive relayed broadcasts of World Cup matches, but the games weren't being shown live in the North.
Tue, June 13, 2006
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - More than two million South Koreans turned the country's streets red into the early hours Wednesday, wearing their national soccer team's blazing signature colour as they celebrated their first-ever World Cup away victory.
About 2.18 million people - including 640,000 in the capital, Seoul - took part in outdoor street parties to cheer the South Korean team on during their 2-1 victory over Togo, the National Police Agency said.
The night was lit up at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, with fans wearing red T-shirts and illuminated red devil's horn headbands, representing the official "Red Devils" fan club, as the country's soccer supporters are known.
The throngs of fans fell soberly quiet when Togo's Mohamed Kader opened scoring in the 31st minute. But they got back into the spirit after Lee Chun-soo equalized in the 54th with a goal punctuated in Seoul by fireworks.
The crowd went wild when Ahn Jung-hwan scored the winner in the 72nd minute.
South Koreans hope their team can replicate their 2002 performance, when the then-co-hosts of the tournament made a surprising run to the semifinals. Before the World Cup came to their home country, the South Koreans had never won a match ever at the quadrennial event.
The South Korean team is out to prove 2002 wasn't a fluke bolstered by the boisterous crowds at home, who hope their support this year will still be felt from halfway around the world.
Despite the win, some fans were cautious about their team's prospects. Togo's captain Jean-Paul Abalo was sent off in the 53rd after receiving a second yellow card for bringing down Park Ji-sung - giving the Koreans a one-man advantage for most of the second half.
"We were kind of lucky to play against only 10 Togo players," said Huh Sun-jeong, 26, who was selling T-shirts embedded with blinking lights. Still, she said she was "very sure that we will go the semifinals again."
Lee Jeong-whan, 20, lamented that the team was making its campaign this year without Guus Hiddink, the Dutchman who coached the South Koreans in 2002 but is now managing Australia's national squad. Another Dutchman, Dick Advocaat, was named as South Korea's coach last September.
"The reason we did so well in 2002 was Hiddink - but now we don't have him," Lee said. "Advocaat hasn't been with us for a long time, he doesn't trust in the ability of his players as much as Hiddink did."
Others were less reserved.
"I knew we made it. I am extremely happy," said Kim Young-ha, 20, a college student. "Our team will beat France and go to the next round."
The other team the Koreans will face in group play is Switzerland.
Before 2002, soccer was a relatively unknown sport here. But since then, the national team's fortunes have become an obsession shared by nearly all - infused with the patriotic pride felt so strongly by most Koreans.
Even prisoners are being allowed to get in on the hype. The Justice Ministry said inmates would watch the match, despite it happening well after normal bedtime.
What's more, there will likely be cheering for South Korea's team across the border in the North - but with a delay. The communist country's TV has requested the South's help to receive relayed broadcasts of World Cup matches, but the games weren't being shown live in the North.
posted by sidekick3d at 8:14 AM
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