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Hiddink recalls Italy's fury after South Korea's 2002 upset

Guus Hiddink has opened up on South Korea's most famous night in football, the 2–1 golden-goal win over Italy at the 2002 World Cup. Ahn Jung-hwan's header sent your team into the quarterfinals and Italian fury through the roof. "Afterwards, they trashed the entire dressing room. Chairs flew through the air," Hiddink recalled. "I stood at a distance, arms crossed, watching. They really needed to blow off steam." He added that Francesco Totti should already have seen red for an earlier elbow before his controversial extra-time dismissal (1). Portugal, Italy, Spain, your team knocked them all out on that run. No Asian side has gone further since.

Sources

  • 1. fourfourtwo.com — ‘Afterwards, the Italians trashed the entire dressing room. Chairs flew through the air. I stood at a distance, arms crossed, watching. They really needed to blow off steam’ Guus Hiddink on South Korea’s 2002 World Cup upset over Italy