“I Know Spain Well.”

The Korean national football team, which had advanced to the final 8, had to put themselves to bed amidst tension and national euphoria on June 18.

Defender Choi Jin-chul, who exerted last of his energy was put on ringer solution for the night as soon as he arrived at the hotel. Another defender Tae-Young Kim was transported to the hospital for surgery for his broken nose. He had to put in an urgent order for nose protector for the next match. Nam-Il Kim’s sprained ankle was found to be less serious than expected, but his appearance in the next match is uncertain.

The players had to wake themselves up around noon on June 19, but they had to put on their football shoes right away. In order to continue making history, there was no time to unwind.

The Korean team will be facing Spain in its next match. Spain has been a difficult opponent, as the Korean team has never beaten Spain. The Korean team’s record against Spain has been 1 draw and 1 loss and the Korean Olympic team lost both of its games against Spain in Olympics and in an invitational game.

However, the Korean team is filled with confidence with a series of wins in this World Cup. Guus Hidink, who had managed Spain’s foremost Real Madrid, showed his confidence by saying, “Spain is in my heart.” He also mentioned that the Korean players themselves have been surprised by their unprecedented performance and feel that they can beat any team.

The Korean national team will remain in Daejon until June 20 to hone their strategy in the match against Spain and move to Kwangju on June 21 for the match.

On the other hand, Spain, which is ranked 8th by the FIFA appears to be unable to shake the burden of facing Korea. Spain’s camp in Ulsan on June 19 is shrouded in tension as its premier goal-getter Raul remains injured, and Korea’s explosive force has been greater than any other team.

Keuk-In Bae bae2150@donga.com