The 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea – the best tournament ever?

Edition for the history books
The hosts
Opening game
Au revoir, France
Disappointments in the first round
Japan
South Korea
Round of 16
Surprises
Senegal
Turkey
United States
South Korea in the semi-finals
Ballack and Kahn
Other star players
Ronaldo
Rivaldo
Honorable mentions
Third place game
Final: Germany-Brazil
Kahn's mistake
Ronaldo sealing the Brazilian deal
Fifth trophy
Best World Cup ever?
Edition for the history books

Many football fans still think back fondly to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The tournament was a great success both on and off the pitch, with some huge upsets and more than-deserved winners. Join us as we head back to 2002!

The hosts

The tournament was hosted by Japan and South Korea, two countries that welcomed the world with open arms and, for the most part, built brand-new stadiums for the occasion.

Opening game

Defending champion France had the honour of opening the tournament against Senegal. Thierry Henry and his countrymen started poorly as the Africans won 0–1 thanks to a goal from Papa Boupa Diop.

Au revoir, France

France was eventually eliminated in the first round, but that was not the only major football country to had to go home befor we even entered the knock-out stage.

Disappointments in the first round

Portugal, Argentina and Croatia, too, all had to pack their bags after the group stage.

Japan

Host Japan played an excellent opening round and qualified as group winners for the round of 16, ahead of second-placed Belgium in Group H.

South Korea

Co-host South Korea, too, went through to the knock-out phase together with the US, upsetting and eliminating Portugal and Poland in Group D.

Round of 16

The Japanese story eventually ended in the round of 16, against a strong USA side.

Surprises

The USA was one of the surprises of the tournament, under the guidance of a strong Landon Donovan. But do you remember who the other surprises were?

Senegal

Senegal, with stars like El Hadji Diouf and Kaililou Fadiga in its ranks, took their good form into the round of 16 and eliminated Sweden for a place in the quarter-finals thanks to a golden goal from Henri Camara. Their story ended there, however, as they were beaten 0-1 by a surprisingly strong Turkey after extra time.

Turkey

Turkey played its best-ever World Cup in 2002 and advanced to the semi-finals, where Brazil beat them 1–0 thanks to a Ronaldo goal.

United States

A round earlier, the United States were also beaten by the Germans, with a goal from star midfielder Michael Ballack.

South Korea in the semi-finals

Meanwhile, host South Korea surprised the world by beating Italy in the round of 16 and Spain in the quarter-finals, making it to the semi-finals for the first time ever. This match was mired in controversy as it featured two disallowed Spanish goals that FIFA later determined should have stood. It remains one of the most contentious World Cup games to this day. South Korea would be sent home soon in the semis as Michael Ballack sealed Germany's place in the final.

Ballack and Kahn

Ballack played an important role for Germany, balancing the team both offensively and defensively, and scoring important goals. Between the posts, 'Die Mannschaft' could rely on arguably the best goalkeeper in the world at the time, Oliver Kahn.

Other star players

But they weren't the only stars of the 2002 FIFA World Cup – in fact, this was a breakout event for some now legendary players!

Ronaldo

Brazil could count on Roberto Carlos, a young Ronaldinho - who led the 'Canary Team' past England with a legendary free kick - and many other big names. Ronaldo, however, was the South Americans's biggest star, with no fewer than eight goals during the tournament.

Rivaldo

One row down, it was Rivaldo who entertained the world with outstanding passing and fabulous technical skills, while also scoring some very important goals, such as Brazil's equalizer against the Three Lions.

Honorable mentions

Other players who performed at their top level and deserve to be mentioned include Hasan Sas (Turkey), Hong Myung-bo (South Korea), Landon Donovan (USA), Sol Campbell and El Hadji Diouf (Senegal), amongst other players.

Third place game

After the semi-finals, only the match for third place and the final were left. The bronze medal went to Turkey, who defeated South Korea 2–3 in an entertaining match.

Final: Germany-Brazil

Shortly after, the world was preparing for the final, which was played between Germany and Brazil, two absolute international football giants.

Kahn's mistake

The first half ended 0-0 in Yokohama's International Stadium, but after the break the Germans saw the world title slipping away as Oliver Kahn made a famous mistake, which allowed Ronaldo to score his seventh goal of the tournament.

Ronaldo sealing the Brazilian deal

That was the cue for Ronaldo to seal the Brazilian deal after a superb strike and score his eighth of the tournament: 0-2.

Fifth trophy

The Germans did not recover from that blow, after which Brazil took home the coveted trophy, the fifth and final world title for the South Americans, which was celebrated well into the Japanese night.

Best World Cup ever?

This concluded the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which is still remembered by many and very often dubbed 'the best World Cup ever'. Can you think of a better one?

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