From: Hildegaard Beauregard [ljlife@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, June 22, 2002 4:18 AM
To: Lee Jerome Life
Subject: O.K., bring on the next European power

Reporting from World Cup Watch Central.

The Korea Republic defeated Spain in a penalty
shootout, 0-0 (5-3), in the quarterfinals and advances
to play three-time World Cup winner Germany in the
semifinals.

Spain is the third big European soccer nation in a row
Korean has beaten, after Portugal and Italy. The
formula was the same:  quick, tireless pursuit by the
Koreans forced the opponent into a hectic pace and
generally disrupted the coordination of attack. Korea
has fiercely fended off, in these three foes, some of
the most famous scorers in the world, allowing only
one goal from Italy. While all three were certainly
capable of responding and taking up the pace with
Korea, making it just as hard for Korea to score, the
Koreans have come through each time, snatching the
match away at a progressively later stage. Against
Portugal, Korea scored in the 70th minute. Against
Italy, after yielding a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute,
Korea scored in the 88th minute to prevent
elimination, then scored the golden goal in the second
extra-time period. Against Spain, Korea had their
biggest deadlock, yet, fighting a goal-less match
through the two extra-time periods and facing their
first penalty shootout in World Cup play.

The experience in penalty shootouts in international
competition, of the execution of the kicks and dealing
with the anxiety, plus the presumed superiority of the
strikers, would perhaps favor Spain. But the Korea
Republic turned the shootout into another show of
their surprising fortitude.

As the Portugese and Italians had done, the Spanish
lost their cool, in their case by the end of the
match. They were already protesting calls wildly by
the end of regular time, but right before the whistle
to end the second extra time, most of the Spanish
players were histrionic. They believed they should
have been awarded a corner kick when the ball touched
the back line at the Korea end, even though a Spanish
player had kicked the ball regardless of whether it
was out. Fernando Hierro in particular was having a
tantrum, persisting in arguing the point with the
referee even while officials on the sideline were
preparing the penalty kick line-ups with coaches. When
Hierro took the first penalty kick for Spain, after
the first Korean kick was successful, he slammed the
ball home, then slammed it again when it bounded back
to him, still angry.

The Koreans, meanwhile, were cool. Each one in his
turn stepped up and, with no apparent ado, drove the
ball solidly home. No funny stuff, no feints, no
chancy angles:  five almost identical shots at
mid-height just to one side of the keeper.  Sun Hong
Hwang, Ji Sung Park, Ki Hyeon Seol and Jung Hwan Ahn
were the first four. Spain answered with Hierro,
Baraja, and Xavi. But the fourth, Joaquin, tried to
get tricky, feinting off the ball on his charge, and
brought Korean keeper Woon Jae Lee off his line. When
Joaquin then tried to push the ball past Lee, it was
too meek, and Lee saved it easily. Korea needed only
to make the next kick and it would be over. Myung Bo
Hong followed in form, and once again, the stadium,
this time Gwangju World Cup Stadium, and all Korea,
was in an uproar.

World Cup Watch reports and other stuff are at:

http://www.excitingland.com/fixion

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