From: Hildegaard Beauregard [ljlife@yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, June 30, 2002 11:48 PM
To: Lee Jerome Life
Subject: All for the show

Reporting from World Cup Watch Central, Saturday, June
29, 2002.

In the World Cup final that might have been, otherwise
known as the third-place match, between the two most
successful upstarts in this surprising edition of the
tournament, and the final match played in South Korea,
Turkey upstaged the home and co-host team in a display
of football brilliance that, in one respect, was the
best in World Cup history.  Perhaps an asterisk will
go with the feat in the record, since this was a
consolation match and not on the track for the Cup,
but Turkey's Hakan Sukur, who had not scored in the
Cup previously, got the quickest goal ever in the
World Cup, at 10 seconds from kickoff. But in the end,
the Turkish team would not let Korea out of the
spotlight.

Korea and Turkey were the biggest surprises of World
Cup 2002 by making it all the way to the semifinals.
They got that far with series of minimal-score
matches, decided by a single goal or even less
(penalty kicks). Their team speed and fierce pursuit
had produced flowing, exciting football even while
minimizing goals. Finally, in the semis, they ended up
on the short end of the same kind of close matches,
Korea losing 0-1 to Germany, Turkey 0-1 to Brazil. The
World Cup final would go to two of the most usual
suspects, and Korea and Turkey would get the show
trial. Suddenly, VERY suddenly, the defensive football
broke down and the goals poured in: the goal in 10
seconds, three goals in the first 13 minutes, four in
the first 32, the halftime score 3-1 Turkey.

Korea's back line, which had been outstanding
throughout the tournament, was astonishingly vincible
from the outset. It was Hong Myung Bo, the center and
anchor of the defense, who broke down immediately. The
ball was played to Hong off the kickoff, but Turkey
charged the Korean side, forwards Ilhan Mansiz and
Hakan Sukur leading. Hong took the pass and seemed to
be playing it routinely, turning around as if unaware
Mansiz was upon him. Mansiz picked the ball easily
just outside the penalty area, and slipped it over to
Hakan Sukur, who had simply to push it straight
through to the goal, past Korean goalkeeper Lee Woon
Jae rushing up to cover the empty area. All in just 10
seconds.

The shock and thrill of that had hardly cleared in the
9th minute, when Korea answered with a stunner of
their own that brought their amazing crowd back to
life. Korea got a free kick well outside the penalty
area and to the right side of the field. Lee Eul Yong
sent it over the wall of Turkish players and it curled
for the near upper corner, beyond the reach of Turkish
keeper Recber Rustu’s lunge, and glanced the inside of
the post to slice in.

The Koreans nearly upped the bid on scoring thrills in
the 12th minute, but Rustu made a great save, and soon
after the ball was back in play, Turkey got the topper
again with one of the most spectacular forward combos
of the tournament. Near midfield, a Korean player went
down on a tackle and the loose ball was sent through
to Mansiz, who took it on a run into the Korean half.
Mansiz, met by a defender, angled the ball to Sukur
charging into the penalty box, then Sukur in stride
stepped to send the ball sideways back to Mansiz, who
chipped it under another defender into the goal.

Despite the early concessions, Korea was causing as
much trouble with their attack, Ahn Jung Hwan, hero of
the U.S. and Italy matches, forcing two more great
saves from Rustu. But in the 32nd minute, the Korean
defense looked dazed and confused again with another
fast-break combo by Mansiz and Sukur. When Sukur
approached the box, four Koreans were bunched up on
his side. Sukur sent the ball past them easily into
the box, setting it up perfectly for Mansiz. With no
one else there, Korean keeper Lee charged, and on the
run, Mansiz chipped the ball over Lee and lept to
avoid him. The ball twirled languidly into the goal.

The scoring dropped off in the second half, but not
for lack of trying. Both teams kept up the frantic
attack. Turkey's intention of playing all-out for the
goal was as manifest as it was fruitful, and now, down
two goals, Korea could only do the same if they wanted
to salvage some pride in this last show before the
home crowd. Turkey played back a little bit more, but
never gave up on the chance to charge the Korean goal,
and even showed the defensive risk. Recber Rustu,
however, was the spoiler for Korea. The Turkish keeper
trumped Korea's flurry of shots with spectacular saves
and preserved Turkey's lead by holding off Korea until
there was too little time. In injury time of the
second half, Korea's Song Chong Gug finally
materialized the will of the Koreans, as his driving
shot from well outside the box was deflected off a
teammate to foil Rustu. That made it 3-2 Turkey. The
Koreans put the ball quickly back in play and were
moving right back to the Turkish end when the whistle
blew to end the match.

But the best part of the show -- of perhaps the entire
World Cup -- may have been what followed that whistle.
Korea had made a spectacular show of their own, ending
up with a shot tally of 20-9 over Turkey. They had
kept the Turks running on defense, and even a bit
bewildered, with tenacious possession and relentless
drive. That they gave up the three goals and then fell
short in the score did not dispel their own
contribution to one of the most thrilling matches of
the tournament. This was a reason, too, for a
show-topper, a curtain call that would lift the whole
show into something even more remarkable, and it was
one more amazing act by the Turks.

As several of the Koreans collapsed from exhaustion
and dejection, some of them sobbing, Hakan Sukur led
his Turkish teammates to help the Koreans up. They
joined hands with them and took them to the side of
the field, to bow together to the crowd -- to the
entire crowd, not just the Turkish supporters or
Korean supporters, but also to the crowd as
predominately Korean and their hosts for
the World Cup. It was a gesture of gratitude for the
entire event, that had been historical for both Turkey
and Korea. But the Turks, too, did not want the Korean
players to hang their heads.

The final will have a hard time topping this one.

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