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| February 25th 2005 |
Rome, Stadio Olimpico
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| SOUTH KOREA - POLAND |
1-2 (1-1)
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GOALS 23' 1-0 Cha Bum-Kun
31' 1-1 Kazimierz Deyna
82' 1-2 Andrzej Szarmach
REFEREE John Langenus (Belgium)
ATTENDANCE 64,000
YELLOW CARDS Kim Nam-Il, Choi Jin-Cheul (KOR)
SOUTH KOREA (Coach: Guus Hiddink, system 4-3-3)
1 Lee Woon-Jae
22 Song Chung-Gug
4 Choi Jin-Cheul
20 Hong Myung-Bo (captain) (-85)
3 Park Jung-Bae
5 Kim Nam-Il
14 Choi Soon-Ho (-68)
10 Lee Young-Pyo
9 Cha Bum-Kun (2nd captain)
18 Hwang Sun-Hong
16 Kim Joo-Sung (-46)
Substitutes:
11 Ahn Jung-Hwan (+46)
7 Yoo Sang-Chul (+68)
21 Park Ji-Sung (+85)
POLAND (Coach: Kazimierz Gorski, system 4-3-3)
1 Jan Tomaszewski
2 Antoni Szymanowski
5 Jerzy Gorgon
4 Wladislaw Zmuda
3 Adam Musial
10 Zbigniew Boniek (-77)
6 Henryk Kasperczak
12 Kazimierz Deyna (captain)
16 Gregorz Lato (-89)
8 Andrzej Szarmach
11 Robert Gadocha (-58)
Substitutes:
20 Gerard Cieslik (+58)
9 Wlodzimierz Lubanski (+77)
14 Ernest Pol (+89)
MATCHREPORT
Maybe the surprise wasn't that Korea proved to be a much better side than
they looked to be in the first match against Holland. The surprise was more
that Poland again couldn't convince. During this match they only from time
to time were able to dominate. The win resulted from individual
outbursts rather than from team performance.
Kazimierz Gorski, like before the match against Uruguay, chose a very
attackminded starting line-up. Behind the attack (Lubanski was left out this
time in favour of Andrzej Szarmach) Boniek played like a kind of fourth
striker. Deyna would try to take control of the midfield, with only
Kasperczak in his back for the dirty work. On top of that the Poles with
Szymanowski had a rightback capable of supporting the frontline often. It
all sounded very well, but in reality it didn't work. Guus Hiddink had
prepared his team very well and mentally and physically very strong, the
Koreans had the better of the match for most of the first half. Poland saw
little of the ball, Deyna and Boniek were pushed back and Korea got more
chances than expected. And therefore, it wasn't really shocking when they
took the lead. Cha squeezed past Zmuda and one on one with Tomaszewski he
sidefooted the ball home: 1-0 in the 23rd minute. Hwang and Kim Joo-Sung had
already missed opportunities before, Tomaszewski denying both of them.
But after the Korean goal, things changed at least a little. Poland woke up
and knew they had to do something, at least take more initiative than they
had done until then. Deyna claimed the ball now and served his strikers more
often. Just like against Uruguay, Poland had to fall behind to realize what
playing at this level required. Most of all Lato was able to create
dangerous attacks now and this way the equalizer was scored soon after Cha's
strike. Lato shot was stopped by goalkeeper Lee, but the ball wasn't cleared
and fell to Deyna. His bumping shot found it's way through a forest of legs
and past moveless Lee: 1-1. The spectators in the Roman stadium, who had
chosen the side of Korea, didn't like it. Deyna's goal was the start of a
good Polish period. Boniek almost scored a second, but his header struck the
bar. The pressure on Hong and his men got bigger but they were able to
survive with 1-1 until half-time.
At the break Hiddink substituted Kim Joo-Sung for speedy Ahn, hoping for a
quick counterattack that could possibly floor central defenders Gorgon and
Zmuda, both big and strong but not so mobile. But the opposite happened.
Korea again took over the game and Poland had to defend once more. Gorgon
threw himself in the way successfully when Choi Soon-Ho had the lead on his
foot and Cha was stopped by the whistle of referee John Langenus who called
off-side, which didn't seem to be right. Poland only came to a few chances
through Lato, their best fieldplayer of the night. Park Jung-Bae couldn't
catch him and had to use a foul or two to stop the outside right. Langenus
didn't think it was worth a yellow card.
Then, after 75 minutes, the biggest chance for South Korea. Ahn slalommed
through the Polish defence and was brought down by Zmuda. Penalty kick,
decided Langenus. Hong, the captain, took the responsability but his weak
shot was saved by Tomaszewski, who had shown to be a specialist in saving
penalties in World Cup 1974 when he saved two. Szymanowski this time did the
rest and kicked the ball over the sideline. This was the big moment in the
match. As so often, when one team squanders the chances the goal falls on
the other side. So this time. Boniek sent a cross into the box and Szarmach
beat Choi Jin-Cheul at the far post. Lee on the wrong foot couldn't help and
it was 1-2 for Poland. Against the run of play, but essential to the Poles
who of course held on to their lead. Hiddink had to comfort Hong, his brave
captain, who had scored an own goal against Holland and now missed the all
important penalty. Still Korea could leave the tournament, although they
still had one match to play, with their heads up high. They had shown that
their place on this level was well deserved.
For Poland now it became a matter of surprising Holland in the last match.
They had done before, for instance in 1975 when they beat them in Katowice
4-1. Many of the players of that game would be on the pitch this time too
and Gorski and his men built their hopes on that. But it was evident they
had to raise their game enormously to have at least a little chance. The win
against Korea had been an efficient one, but it could as well have gone the
other way. Tomaszewski like so many times before had come to the rescue of
his team.
We'll continue this sequence of matches when France meets the Republic of
Ireland in Pasadena. France won their first match against Belgium by a
narrow margin but had shown to be a great team capable of going very far.
Ireland on the other end made it to a draw with Chile, in Santiago. Not bad,
but still a mountain to climb for them. They could play for a draw against
France and hope to beat Belgium in the next match. The question is when Aimé
Jacquet dares to bring both Platini, Zidane and Kopa at the same time. It
would be delicious. Thierry Henry is expected to make the starting line-up.
Ireland will not change too much. Jack Charlton however is still not sure
about his strikers who are no worldbeaters. Anyway, referee David Arnaldo
Coelho will lead the teams onto the pitch next Tuesday.
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