Failure is a Good Lesson

``Let us keep in mind the lesson from the dismal defeat. And let us do our best in the remaining games.``

The Hiddink squad realized in the opening game with France how hard it is to crack the barrier of the world`s best team.

A defender Hong Myong-Bo told that the French team seemed to be much stronger than the Dutch team, who had beaten us by 5-0 in the 1998 World Cup. And Ko Jong-Su expressed the shock from the miserable loss with France, saying ``to play hard seems not to guarantee an automatic victory.``

However, Head Coach Guus Hiddink has rather encouraged the players. ``We should do our best to get rid of the gap, since we keenly realized the differential of the ability from the world`s best team.``

The Korean National Team has kept in training schedule for the match with Mexico at Ulsan Munsu World Cup Stadium yesterday.

Hiddink has led the practice of the team tactics, comforting the players. ``Let us put on the shelf the memory of the bitter loss, and fight with all of our might in the remaining games.``

``Actually I had requested the organizing committee to match the Korean team with stronger team such as France and Brazil, or whoever, in the opening game, because I wanted to make a calm judgment on the ability of my team and to deal with the problems,`` told Hiddink. ``I found various problems in game with France, but I will resolve them one by one through the actual games.``

Since there is no injured player in game with France, the same members are expected to play in game with Mexico.

Mexico, who was defeated 0-2 by Australia, has been counted as the victim of the Korean team`s first victory, because the 98 World Cup members such as Hernandez and Blanco stayed home.

Hence, the Korean team will employ the 4-4-2 formation in which Hwang Son-Hong and Seol Ki-Hyun are placed in the forefront of the offensive line, rather than the 4-5-1 formation used in games with Cameroon and France.

And in case of not taking the initiative in the beginning of the game, the Korean team is planning to substitute Kim Do-Hoon, Choi Yong-Su, Kang Chul, Yoon Jung-Hwan etc., who did not play in game with France, and will attempt to reverse the game.

The Korean Team must win over Mexico in order to pull itself out the shock from the game lost to France, and to have a chance to advance to the semifinals in game with Australia.

Kwon Soon-Il stt77@donga.com