Paying homage to 5 of the most memorable World Cup giant-killings
The FA Cup may have made its reputation off the back of giant-killing results, but the World Cup has had more than its fair share. We cast an eye over five cities that have hosted five of the biggest games that shook the world.
A KOREA HIGH
The destination: Daejeon, South Korea
The game: South Korea beat Italy 2-1 (after extra-time), 2002
The stadium: The Daejeon World Cup stadium, known as the Purple Arena, still stands tall and is home to local side Daejeon Citizens. The city is South Korea’s fifth largest, with a population in excess of 1.5 million, and a road and rail hub making it easy to reach wherever you are in the country.
What happened: Engineered by Dutch tactical genius Guus Hiddink, South Korea pulled off arguably the biggest shock of the 2002 World Cup when they came back from behind to snaffle a golden goal that booted Italy out in extra-time of their quarter-final showdown. Irony of ironies, the winner was scored by Ahn Jung-Hwan who at the time was plying his trade for Serie A side Perugia. His goal didn’t go down too well, with club owner Luciano Gaucci telling press afterwards: “I have no intention of paying a salary to someone who has ruined Italian soccer.” Despite an apology Ahn opted to move to Japan that same summer. Hardly surprising really.