“It’s the Goal Decisiveness again ”

The Korean gatekeeper Lee Woon-Jae blocked the Mexican captain Sosa and Hierro’s penalty kicks, and Korea led by 3-2. The Rose Bowl stadium was filled silence as the last kicker Lee Young-Pyo ran toward the ball. The silence soon turned into the Mexican fans’ loud sigh. The ball left Lee’s foot and flied into the net above GK Martinez.

Korea defeated Mexico by 4-2 after a scoreless 120- minute extended game, and advanced to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.

Korea’s competitor is Group C’s top team Costa Rica, and the match will begin at 11 a.m. (Korean time) on the 31st. Costa Rica, also a 2002 World Cup participant, is a strong championship candidate whose `best 11` will all be playing.

The quarterfinals match between Korea and Mexico took place at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl stadium, California, on the 28th. Korea was superior in the number of shootings by 18-10, but failed to actualize a goal, revealing the lack of goal decisiveness again.

The Korean team faced 3 dangerous moments as soon as the first half started, and invaded the opponent`s goal gate in the second half by substituting Choi Tae-Wook and Kim Do-Hoon with Choi Sung-Yong and Lee Dong-Kuk without an outcome. Kim Do-Hoon’s shots continually missed the goal posts, and Lee Dong-Kuk also missed 2 good chances just before the final whistle. Even during the overtime, Kim Nam-Il, Lee Young-Pyo, Lee Ul-Yong, and Ahn Hyo-Youn took turns in the attack, but all failed in the final minutes. In the end, it was goalkeeper Lee Woon-Jae who delivered Korea`s victory on the penalties.

In the following match, U.S.A. defeated El Salvador by 4-0, advancing to the semifinals with Canada. Brian McBride of the U.S. team performed a hat-trick with 3 goals in the first half, and Ante Razov added one more goal in the second half.

Keuk-In Bae bae2150@donga.com