Summer 2002, the mocking World Cup: from Byron Moreno to the Korean Ahn expelled from Perugia

South Korea, Golden goal, Byron Moreno and Ahn Jung-hwan . Four clues that make a test, indeed set the perfect place for the football murder. Fifteen years have passed since the Japanese World Cup which saw Trap’s Italy unfortunately eliminated from South Korea by Perugian Ahn and globetrotter coach Guus Hiddink .
A debacle for a national team on paper undoubtedly valid enough to be able to push further into the tournament, but held back by the coach Trapattoni with his obsessive fixes that went beyond the real pitfalls of the opponents. Who remembers Ecuadorian full-back Ulises de la Cruz!
And the superstitious holy water used on the bench
The World Cup of the new millennium, the futuristic Fevernova ball , the first time that two countries, Japan and South Korea, join forces to put on the most gigantic sporting event after the Olympics. And then there is the Italy of Buffon, Nesta, Maldini and Cannavaro , of a breaking midfield with Cristiano Zanetti, Tommasi and Di Biagio and then the quality and strength in front of them with Totti, Vieri, Inzaghi and Del Piero. With Roberto Baggio left at home .

An Italy that becomes very small, fearful , with the handbrake on and without really expressing a dominant football except in the inaugural match against Ecuador , won for2-0 with a brace from Vieri . Then the 2-1 defeat against Croatia and the 1-1 draw against Mexico thanks to Del Piero’s goal. Small side note: Italy qualifies for the second round carrying a baggage of four goals canceled in two games between alleged jerks and a dubious offside. [/ Vc_column_text] [/ vc_column] [/ vc_row]

• Add to cart

  Books

• Add to cart

  Books

• Add to cart

  Books

[/ vc_column] [/ vc_row]

And then I arrive Byron Moreno . It was June 18, 2002 and Italy moved from Japan to Korea, right against the hosts for an extremely fiery eighth final . In the stadium of Daejon unpleasant ghosts were recalled: “Again 1966” was the welcome message to the Azzurri, a clear reference to the defeat of the 1996 World Cup at the hands of another Korea, that of the North.

Against the hosts, against a hostile climate, Italy was also joined by Moreno’s mocking refereeing performance that began immediately after four minutes, when he decided to pay homage to the Koreans with a generous penalty for a deduction from Panucci, but Buffon paro, making Ahn’s and the red fans’ scream of joy linger in the throat.
It is then always Vieri who unlocks the match at 18 ‘, to force an unequal game where the balance dressed in black hung clearly on the side of the Koreans: the savage on Zambrotta, the head injury of Coco, the foul at the limit of the area on Totti remained unpunished gestures .
The hosts were thus galvanized, the Italians instead began to lose their temper and concentration. Vieri missed some sensational occasions with the result of having to defend a poor goal in the best possible way. All in vain because at 87 ‘Italy, to remain in the Japanese mythological theme, became harakiri: Panucci wraps himself on a cross from the right and Seol crosses the left on the far post. The stadium on fire and the Azzurri panicked, forced into extra time at the last minute.

The bogeyman of the Golden goal was almost less frightening than Byron Moreno who, during the extra-time, showed off the best: double yellow to Totti for a simulation that was not and regular goal canceled by Tommasi. The ending was all written and it was Ahn, the Perugian, who took pen and inkwell in hand to write the final word: at 115 ‘, Maldini is late, Ahn nibbles just enough to pierce Buffon .
Italy was out in the round of 16 from the World Cup, Korea continued its journey by knocking Spain out in the quarterfinals, with related controversies, before capitulating in the semifinals against Germany.
It was a sad ending: Paolo Maldini, targeted by criticism, decided to stop wearing the blue shirt (making up for Milan with the Champions League the following year, playing almost all the games of the season), Byron Moreno no longer heard of it except a few years later when he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for international drug trafficking .

And Ahn The idol for his country, unsuccessful anti-hero in Italy , was chased away by the volcanic patron of Perugia ,Luciano Gaucci , who in the columns of the Gazzetta dello Sport, on June 19, said:
I don’t want to see him anymore: he offended the country that welcomed him.
I arrive in Italy with a bold statement, saying he wants to be better than Nakata. I leave Italy after two seasons with 30 sporadic appearances and five goals. But with a great regret: to deliver Italy the return ticket to the 2002 World Cup .
[/ vc_column_text] [/ vc_column] [/ vc_row]