The South Korean star who caused outrage by eliminating Italy from the World Cup

The South Korean star who caused outrage by eliminating Italy from the World Cup

Ahn Jung-hwan was the first South Korea international to play in Serie A, but Perugia refused to make his move permanent in 2002, after he had eliminated Italy from the World Cup with a famous ‘Golden Goal.’

To date, only three South Korean players have featured in Italy’s Serie A, but the first to do so, Ahn Jung-hwan, surely left his mark on the league.

Scorer of five goals in 30 appearances with Perugia, the Serie A side decided against making his move permanent in 2022, as Ahn had scored the goal that eliminated Italy from the World Cup that summer.

The result shocked the Azzurri and allowed South Korea to advance to the World Cup quarter-final, in a match also remembered for the many controversial decisions by referee Byron Moreno that affected the Nazionale, including a red card for Francesco Totti.

This summer, it will be much easier to watch World Cup games live, even abroad, thanks to 해외축구중계, but you won’t need an internet connection to remember the outrage that Ahn’s goal caused in Italy.

DAEJEON – JUNE 18: (From left to right) Mark Iuliano, Christian Vieri and captain Paolo Maldini of Italy complain to referee Byron Moreno of Ecuador during the FIFA World Cup Finals 2002 Second Round match between South Korea and Italy played at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium, in Daejeon, South Korea on June 18, 2002. South Korea won the match 2-1 with a Golden Goal in extra-time. DIGITAL IMAGE. (Photo by Ben Radford/Getty Images)

That Azzurri team was one of the strongest of its generation, with players such as Paolo Maldini, Christian Vieri, Alessandro Del Piero, Fabio Cannavaro, Filippo Inzaghi, Francesco Totti, and many more.

Vieri had given the Azzurri the lead at minute 18, but South Korea levelled the score at minute 88 with Seol Kihyeon, and Ahn killed it off with a Golden Goal in the 117th minute.

That was also the last game Maldini played at the international level, as he announced his retirement from the Azzurri in the wake of the elimination by South Korea.

Just a few hours after Ahn’s Golden Goal against the Azzurri, which marked South Korea’s 2-1 win, Perugia President Luciano Gaucci called live the Processo di Biscardi, one of the most popular TV football shows in Italy at the time, to reveal that he wouldn’t retain the Korean striker.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – NOVEMBER 12: The South Korean team line up before the friendly match between South Korea and Sweden at the SangAm World Cup stadium on November 12, 2005 in Seoul, South Korea. Back row left to right: Ahn Jung-Hwan, Kim Young-Chul, Kim Dong-Jin, Choi Jin-Cheol, Seol Ki-Hyeon ,goal keeper Lee Woon Jae Front row left to right: Park Ji-Sung, Park Ju-Young, Cho Won-Hee, Lee Ho,Lee Young-Pyo. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

“I have absolutely no intention of paying a salary to someone who has ruined Italian football,” Gaucci said.

Twenty years after his goal against Italy, Ahn told FIFA.com: “It was a really special match for me and my country. No one believed we could beat Italy. I think you just need to look at our preparation and the way we played. Hiddink made us a strong side, both physically and mentally, and we weren’t afraid of anyone.”

Only two other players from South Korea have played in Serie A: Lee Seung-woo at Hellas Verona and Kim Min-jae at Napoli. The latter made history at the Stadio Maradona, being one of the cornerstones of the Napoli side that won the Scudetto in 2022-23, the first one in the post-Maradona era.