Sport - Football

Memorable matches: North Korea vs. Italy

IT remains to date the best showing by an Asian team in the World Cup. North Korea's unexpected entry into the quarterfinal at the expense of fancied Italy is rivalled only by the surprise that was caused by the United States against England 16 years before in Brazil.

North Korea's appearance in its first and only World Cup so fan was itself the result of an unforeseen development caused by the boycott initiated by the Afro-Asian lobby in protest against FIFA's refusal to guarantee Africa its own qualifier. This had left only the Koreans and Australia in the race to gain the lone spot reserved for countries outside of Europe and South America.

However, the 9-2 aggregate over the Australians with which the North Koreans marched ahead seemed not to incite any terror among the teams that they eventually were paired with — Italy, Russia and Chile — in Group IV. These countries were only intrigued by the monastic training methods adopted by the Koreans within their army barracks. And that was the reason why Italy had despatched its manager Edmondo Fabbri's assistant, Ferruccio Valcareggi, to spy on the Koreans.

But with Valcareggi reporting back that the Koreans were nothing but "una squadra di Ridolini" (Italian name for Charlie Chaplin), the Italians had straightaway dismissed thoughts of any opposition coming from their Asian rival which anyway was quite inexperienced to create a flutter at football's showpiece event.

And when finally the Koreans succumbed 0-3 to the Russians in their opening match and could only manage a 1-1 draw against Chile, the Italians had grown in confidence and expected a cake-walk over their Asian rival. A win was required for both the teams to qualify for the knockout round as Italy had in the meanwhile been defeated by Russia (0-1) after the 2-0 success it had registered over Chile in its campaign-opener.

Giani Rivera, who had given way to Luigi Meroni, after having had an off-day against the Chileans, was recalled by Fabbri as the Italians prepared to meet the almost unnaturally slim Koreans. The young Korean side, in its previous matches, had shown fitness and speed and had stood up well against the rough tactics of the Chileans while they had been beaten by the overwhelming reach and sheer strength of the Russians.

Fabbri was not taking any chances. And the Italians looked well in control until Giacomo Bulgarelli aggravated an earlier knee injury (in a late tackle with park Seung-Jin, the scorer against Chile) and was forced to leave the field. With their rivals down to ten men the Koreans already noted for their nimble-footedness and youthfulness were now back into the picture.

It did not require much time, thereafter, for the Koreans to forge ahead, something hardly anyone had anticipated.

The winner for the Koreans came in the 42nd-minute when an Italian clearance was headed back to their own goal-area and park Doo-Ik (later to become a dentist) let it run into his stride before unleashing a powerful shot across as Enrico Albertosi stood rooted to the ground.

The Koreans, now the pride of Ayresome Park, outlasted the rival ten and numerous Italian designs for an equaliser in the second-half while making a mess of at least two good chances that came their own way. They were now in the quarterfinals. They were no longer a bar-room joke. And they would never be forgotten.

For the Italians, a rotten tomato bombardment was in store as they arrived back in Genoa Airport. The name Park Doo Ik remains a knife-thrust into the history of Italian football even today. — A. Vinod.

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