YOKOHAMA, Japan, 26 June — Michael Ballack ended the most astonishing story in World Cup history yesterday when his second-half goal sealed Germany’s 1-0 victory over co-hosts South Korea and a place in their seventh final.
The midfielder’s 75th minute goal destroyed the dreams of millions of Koreans who took to the streets to watch the game on big screens in one of the biggest parties in Asia’s history.
The Germans, champions in 1954, 1974 and 1990 and runners-up in 1966, 1982 and 1986, will play the winners of today’s second semifinal between four times champions Brazil and Turkey in Sunday’s final in the Japanese city of Yokohama.
It is the first final that the Germans, the hosts of the next World Cup finals in 2006, will contest as a reunited country. Remarkably, they have never met four times winners Brazil in the finals.
Ballack, however, will miss the occasion through suspension after picking up a yellow card four minutes before the goal. It was his second caution of the knockout phase having been booked against Paraguay in the second round.
South Korea began their World Cup campaign having never won a match in five appearances at previous finals and were 150-1 outsiders to pick up football’s most prestigious prize.
But, inspired by their Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, the Koreans beat three big European teams on their way to the last four — Portugal, Italy and Spain — in the biggest surprises in the 72-year-old history of the competition.
Nicknamed the “Germans of Asia” because of their determination and stamina, the Koreans, Asia’s first representatives in the last four, matched the Germans for much of the game, roared on by a fanatical crowd of 65,000.
But the Germans, who needed to contest a playoff against the Ukraine to get to the finals after finishing behind England in their qualifying group, kept up their reputation of getting to finals with efficient, but far from brilliant performances.
It was a remarkable achievement for coach Rudi Voeller, who played a key role in the 1990 final which took place before West and East Germany were reunited after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in 1990 after an Andreas Brehme penalty following a foul on former striker Voeller who has lifted the Germans after the dismal performance at Euro 2000 when they crashed out in the first round.
“We had watched South Korea carefully and had noticed that they tired game after game. We knew if we managed to remain compact and tight, it should be enough,” captain and goalkeeper Oliver Kahn said.
“When you’re in the final, you obviously want to win it. The way this World Cup has been going, I could imagine it would be Turkey.”
