Stories of the World Cup: Who are the South Korean team that knocked Germany out of the group stages

The National Student

The South Korean football team, against all odds, remarkably took current World Champions off of their pedestal.

Despite this being their only positive result in their group, previously losing out 1-0 and 2-1 to Sweden and Mexico respectively, it was one of the most significant of the tournament.

With South Korea’s win, this is the fourth time in a row that the European holders of the World Cup have gone out in the tournament following the one of their victory. The last time Germany went out at this stage of the tournament was 1938.

It’s a result that will, no doubt, go down in football history. But where does it rank for the Taegeuk Warriors?

For a team that’s qualified for the World Cup ten times, by far and away the most significant involvement is in 2002, when they hosted the tournament alongside Japan.

Guided by Guus Hiddink, formerly of Chelsea, the team swept aside Portugal, the USA and Poland in their group, before facing Italy in the Round of 16, in what was to become one of the more controversial games in World Cup history.

The Italians arrived with a team boasting Inzaghi, Buffon, del Piero, Maldini and plenty of others. However, with the Italians bullied off the ball, the aggressive pressing and relentless energy of the South Koreans, alongside some extremely questionable referring (of a now-convicted drug smuggler) that included a disallowed goal and a red card for Italy, it was not to be.

South Korea squeezed past 5-3 on penalties against Spain in the Quarter-Finals, and advanced to the semi-finals where they lost on penalties to, who else, Germany.

So now, sixteen years later, it seemed only fitting that it should be the South Koreans to dash German hopes.

Whilst they are still going home, It is perhaps, the most shocking result in their history. The game in Italy was an upset, but also marred by controversy. This time, it can be put as an honest and hard-fought result.

It was a gruelling contest, and the tenacity of the South Korean team must be admired. Inspired by the talismanic Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur, and captained by Swansea’s Ki Sung-yeung, the Asian nation can be proud of their teams performance at Russia 2018.