After 20 years, Portugal and South Korea face each other again. It is the second time in history that both teams have met in a match. And the record is not favorable to the national team.
In 2002, South Korea (then hosting the World Cup, along with Japan) triumphed, beating the Quinas team 1-0, which dictated Portugal’s elimination from the competition, the first time it had been held on Asian territory.
Like 20 years ago, the game between Portugal and South Korea (coached by Paulo Bento, who will not be on the bench after being sent off in the previous round) will take place in the final round of the group stage. But the situation is different from then: in 2002, at the start of the last round of group D, Portugal contested qualification with the United States.
The formation then commanded by António Oliveira, and which had its basis in the so-called “golden generation” – with names such as Luís Figo, Rui Costa, Fernando Couto, Jorge Costa, Vítor Baía or João Vieira Pinto, reinforced with Sérgio Conceição , Pauleta or Paulo Bento himself -, came from a defeat against the United States (2-3) and a thrashing against Poland (4-0), had to win or draw and wait for the already eliminated Poland to beat the North – Americans.
On June 14, 2002, everything came together to realize such a scenario, as Poland already defeated the United States 2-0 in Daejeon after five minutes, but everything started to fall apart even before the match. an hour, when João Vieira Pinto was suspended with a straight red card, leaving the corner team with one less element.
The clean sheet (0-0) recorded at half-time in Incheon still fueled Portugal’s hopes, who were dealt another blow by Beto’s exclusion and ended soon after with the only goal of the game, scored by Park Ji-Sung (1-0), who, together with the United States, ensured the victory and qualification of the Asians.
Considered one of the favorites to fight for the world title given the football values he had, Portugal said goodbye to the competition without honor or glory and the immediate result was a major overhaul in the Portuguese formation, with the departure of António Oliveira from command and the arrival of Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari.
That meeting with the South Koreans also ended the careers of some players in the national team, such as Jorge Costa, Paulo Sousa, Abel Xavier, Paulo Bento, Pedro Barbosa or João Vieira Pinto, and the latter, who now holds the position of director of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), was suspended by FIFA for six months – the sentence was to be reduced to four – after assaulting Argentine referee Ángel Sánchez, following expulsion.
Source: DN
