Another Soccer Giant Crashes

DAEJEON, South Korea, Tuesday - Italy were sensationally dumped out of the World Cup here yesterday when a golden goal from Ahn Jung-Hwan (right) saw co-hosts South Korea score a 2-1 win in one of the greatest upsets in the 72-year history of the tournament. In what is turning out to be a World Cup of the ‘under-dogs’, Italy joined the scrap heap of France, Argentina and Portugal with the quarter-finals yet to be played. Italy-based Ahn’s 117th-minute strike settled a pulsating second round encounter which exploded into life when Korea snatched an 88th-minute equaliser after Christian Vieri had given Italy the lead.In an upset to match North Korea’s famous 1966 World Cup win over Italy, Ahn glanced home towards the end of an incident-packed extra-time period which saw Italy’s golden boy Francesco Totti controversially sent off for diving. The win sent South Korea into a quarter-final against Spain in Gwangju on Saturday and left Italy on the World Cup scrap heap along with Argentina, France and Portugal as the shocks continued. “We have beaten one of the superpowers of world football,” South Korea’s Dutch coach Guus Hiddink said. “The dream is going on. We have now set another record for Korea and I’m so happy for the boys. “We had a difficult time in the first half, missing the penalty and everything. But to win against such an experienced team, the boys are so happy inside the locker room.“I’m glad that we could make it for the Korean people,” said Hiddink, who prepared his players for the World Cup intensively in the months leading up to the tournament.“They were very clever and very dangerous and I think the players matched them after the first half and in the end dominated them and deserved to get the goal.“Two or three months ago, I wouldn’t have thought it possible. They have learnt so much, it’s incredible,” the Dutchman said. Italy is a three times champion.Ends