The Dream Lives On

Sou

th Koreans really thought they could beat Italy. Imagine! Somebody forgot to tell to them that soccer giants like Italy roll over soccer squirts like South Korea. Somebody forgot to tell them, O.K., you beat Portugal somehow but now your luck has run out. Somebody forgot to tell them the soccer world was getting back to normal but in this most extraordinary of World Cups, maybe it isn't.

Guess what — I can't believe I'm writing this — Korea just beat Italy. Two goals to one. South Korea, which had never won as much as a match in five previous World Cups, just beat Italy, a three-time World Cup winner. Upsets don't get much bigger than that. South Korea will go into the quarterfinals against Spain. They play Saturday. And you can bet the Spanish aren't laughing.

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The game against Italy couldn't have been more nerve-racking for Korean fans. A missed penalty shot by Ahn Jung Hwan temporarily quieted Korea's raucous Red Devil supporters early on, then a header by Christian Vieri put Italy out in front. The Korean team looked nervous and tentative. They started to find their form in the second half but the Italians outplayed them much of the time. When it looked like time had run out on the Koreans, an equalizer by Seol Ki Hyeon with two minutes to go forced overtime. Then Ahn, who had missed the crucial penalty early in the game, redeemed himself, scoring with a headed winner in the 25th minute of extra time.

The entire country exploded in delirious rapture, with people crying and cheering wildly, while others were left literally speechless. The revelry went on into the wee hours. The victory was extra sweet for South Korea. Knocked out earlier in the day by Turkey, rival Japan didn't advance to the quarterfinals. That will put a little bounce into the step of Koreans everywhere — co-host Japan was also once Korea's colonial master.

But there is another reason Koreans relish this victory. Many remember communist North Korea's 1-0 victory over Italy in 1966 to get to the quarterfinals. Korean television replayed highlights of that match after last night's game. Now, as one South Korean put it: "We beat them again." Italians remember that match as if it were yesterday; now they have fresh wounds to nurse. They are now heading home, muttering about bad refereeing, along with the other soccer giants Argentina, Portugal and France.

This morning South Koreans will wake up and pinch themselves to make sure it was all real, because even they didn't really believe they could beat Italy, did they?