From June 11 to June 16, the first round of group stage matches of the 2010 South Africa World Cup concluded.
The results of the opening round were a mixed bag—some teams celebrated, while others were left disappointed.
Popular teams like Croatia, Argentina, Germany, and Brazil all claimed victories.
However, traditional powerhouses such as France, England, Portugal, and Italy were only able to come away with draws.
France's opening match was against Uruguay, a team featuring Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani.
Despite this being a heavyweight clash between Europe and South America, the match ended in a dull 0-0 draw.
Neither Uruguay nor France played with much freedom—likely due to the pressure of the World Cup, which seemed to suppress their full potential.
England being held by the United States was also quite a surprise.
Meanwhile, Italy, aging and visibly lacking energy, failed to showcase their defending champion strength against Paraguay's youth, also ending in a draw.
Portugal and Ivory Coast likewise played to a scoreless stalemate.
But the biggest upset came from Spain, who shockingly lost 0-1 to Switzerland.
That match exposed many of Spain's flaws, most notably their lack of consistency.
The regretful part was that Spain's group lacked any truly strong teams.
Had Croatia, Brazil, or Germany been in their group, Spain's early loss could have spelled elimination right away.
Given that it was only the first round, most national teams approached their games conservatively.
They were primarily focused on testing the waters and finding form—many top teams even tried to avoid revealing too much of their tactical plans.
But the second round would be a different story altogether.
Especially for those powerhouse teams who drew their first matches—if they fail to win or draw again in this round, they'll be in real trouble.
As such, after moving past the first round, the atmosphere in the second round began heating up.
For instance, Bosnia was preparing to go all out against Argentina with a strong defensive strategy.
On Croatia's side, their upcoming opponent was South Korea, and they had spent the past week analyzing Korea's tactical style.
Historically, South Korea is a rather "notorious" team in World Cup history.
After all, the 2002 World Cup scandal still lingers in memory.
Koreans play with grit, but often misplace it.
Unsportsmanlike conduct and dirty fouls are far too common in their matches.
Elbowing, stepping on feet, reckless tackles—all are seen regularly.
To them, tugging and shoving aren't even considered fouls.
To prepare for this match, and particularly for Korea's dirty tactics, Van Stoyak made some adjustments.
First: players must keep their jerseys tucked into their shorts—this makes it easier for the referee to spot shirt-pulling.
Second: pass as much as possible.
Expecting South Koreans not to foul is unrealistic—four yellow cards per match isn't a joke!
For Croatia, playing South Korea is just a process. The key isn't just to win, but how to take them down.
Thus, Van Stoyak made a tactical shift:
"We're playing Tiki-Taka this match!"
What's the most effective style when a strong team faces a weaker one?
The answer is clear: Tiki-Taka.
Keep possession, probe with continuous attacks to drain the opponent's stamina, while exerting constant pressure on their backline.
With technical players like Suker, Modrić, Rakitić, and Kranjčar, and other teammates skilled in quick passes and off-the-ball movement, Croatia had the right tools.
Plus, they didn't believe South Korea could pose a threat to their midfield—unless by fouling.
Van Stoyak's aim was to eliminate even the opportunity for Korea to foul.
Croatia would not hold the ball long—just quick passing and movement, switching positions constantly.
Similar to Arsenal's pass-and-move style.
Of course, Croatia's Tiki-Taka was more of an imitation—they're not a true possession-based team. Against elite teams, they'd likely get exposed.
But South Korea doesn't belong in that category.
The key to strategy, Van Stoyak believed, was to avoid the opponent's strengths and create favorable conditions for yourself.
Frankly, Van Stoyak didn't think Croatia needed to go head-to-head with Korea—their ambitions were simply on a different level. A clean and efficient win was the priority.
To that end, Croatia spent the whole week training rondos (possession drills).
Besides rondos, they also worked on one-touch passing and coordinated off-the-ball runs.
While Croatia prepared, South Korea did too.
Having lost their first match to Argentina, a second defeat would be a nightmare—effectively knocking them out.
They had to secure at least a draw or a win.
Facing world number two Croatia, this was a near-impossible task, but they had to try.
Back in Korea, major TV networks were already hyping up the match as an epic showdown.
Truthfully, Korea had drawn a terrible lot this World Cup.
Grouped with both Croatia and Argentina, they were little more than background players.
Even though they had players like Park Ji-sung and Park Chu-young who played in Europe, aside from Park Ji-sung, the rest weren't up to international standards.
Even Park Ji-sung wouldn't make the starting lineup in this Croatian team.
Faced with such a huge gap, Korean fans didn't hold high hopes—there was a sense of resigned acceptance.
They knew a loss was likely.
But even if they lost, they wanted to lose with dignity.
At the very least, they didn't want the match to be a complete embarrassment.
So, they began relying on tricks again.
If they couldn't beat them head-on, they'd resort to underhanded tactics.
"When you push, target the waist—it's the weakest spot and easiest to unbalance."
"If they're dribbling, forget the ball—use your body, even step on their feet."
While other teams were studying how to improve their performance, Korea was figuring out how to foul without getting penalized.
"Ji-sung hyung, you're going up against your club teammate tomorrow—make sure to keep an eye on Modrić!"
Park Chu-young said, tossing a pickled vegetable into his mouth, his face covered in chili powder.
Park Ji-sung felt heavy-hearted.
In the national team, he was unquestionably the leader and the only one playing for a top European club.
But at Manchester United, he wasn't part of the core circle.
His best relationship at the club was with Evra. As for stars like Ronaldo, Modrić, and Rooney, they never really included him.
That's the hierarchy that comes with ability—if you're not good enough, you can't even get invited to play.
Even so, in the Korean squad, Park Ji-sung was their pride—the star from a European powerhouse and the locker room leader.
"Tomorrow, let's teach Croatia a lesson!"
Park Chu-young raised his cup and shouted.
Others followed:
"Taegeuk Warriors! Taegeuk Warriors! Fighting!"
Evening of June 16.
The second round of group stage matches began.
Host nation South Africa faced Uruguay.
The pace of the matches noticeably picked up in this round.
Uruguay, no longer cautious after a first-round draw, played with flair this time.
South Africa had the home-field advantage, but the strength gap was clear.
Uruguay scored in the 24th minute, putting South Africa on the back foot.
Then in the 80th minute and stoppage time, they scored two more to seal the deal.
Uruguay, a South American powerhouse, was beginning to flex their muscles.
In the end, South Africa lost 0-3.
Following this pace, many expected France to finally shine—but in another shocking twist, France, boasting stars like Henry, Ribéry, Govou, Anelka, and Malouda, lost to Mexico.
Manchester United's "super sub," Javier Hernández (Chicharito), made his mark.
He came on in the 55th minute, scored in the 64th.
Just 9 minutes on the pitch, and he scored.
Many praised him as Ferguson's golden boy.
Then, in the 80th minute, Mexico scored again, sealing the match.
France now had one draw and one loss in their two games.
Fans could hardly believe it.
At this rate, France might become the first traditional powerhouse eliminated from the 2010 World Cup.
Mexico's upset over France made the tournament even more thrilling.
It also set the stage for the next day's matches.
Much-anticipated Croatia was about to play their second group match.
"This is KBS News broadcasting live from South Africa. In this match, the warriors of the Republic of Korea will face the mighty Croatian players. As the 2008 Euro champions, boasting stars like Suker and Modrić, Croatia is a formidable opponent. But I believe the Taegeuk Warriors will never give up!"
Cheers erupted in the distance as the Croatian team bus arrived.
One by one, the Croatian players stepped off, wearing their training kits. Their expressions were light, laughing and chatting—hardly the nervous vibe you'd expect before a crucial match.
Compared to the warlike atmosphere Korea was building up, Croatia looked too relaxed.
Which only deepened the Korean players' unease.
There was no helping it—the skill gap was real.
These were players standing at the top of football's pyramid—an opponent Korea could only look up to.
From a global perspective, Korea isn't exactly a strong team.
And now they had to face one of the best in the world in a do-or-die match.
"Dae-han-min-guk! Boom boom! Boom! Boom boom!"
Korean fans kept chanting, their rhythmically synchronized cheers echoing through the stadium.
Korean players were warming up intensely, their faces heavy with pressure.
Park Ji-sung kept glancing toward the Croatian half.
There, Croatian players stood in a circle, playing keepy-uppy without letting the ball drop—it looked more like a game than a warm-up.
This stark contrast only added pressure on Korea.
Respect your opponent in strategy, but treat them with contempt in tactics.
Van Stoyak used every detail to build pressure on the Korean players.
From facial expressions, body language, to warm-up routines—everything aimed to rattle the opposition.
Once they're nervous, they'll make mistakes.
And more mistakes mean more scoring chances for Croatia.
Warm-ups ended. Both sides headed back to their locker rooms.
Soon after, they reappeared in the tunnel.
"This is the second matchday of Group B in the 2010 World Cup: South Korea vs. Croatia!"
"In their first match, Korea lost 1-2 to Argentina. If they lose again today, their World Cup journey is effectively over."
"Unfortunately, their opponent today is even stronger than Argentina—Croatia!"
Local South African commentators shook their heads.
They sympathized with Korea—this was truly the "group of death."
With Croatia, Argentina, and a strong Bosnia in the same group, most people had already counted Korea out from the beginning.
Now, the only question was how badly they would lose.
Even the Korean commentators spoke in grim tones:
"For our players, the key today is limiting Suker. His explosive runs are devastating. If he picks up speed, we have no one who can keep up."
Cheers exploded—players took the field.
Starting Lineups:
Korea (4-3-3):
GK: Jung Sung-ryong
DEF: Lee Jung-soo, Cho Yong-hyung, Lee Young-pyo, Kim Jung-woo
MID: Ki Sung-yueng, Oh Beom-seok, Park Ji-sung
FWD: Lee Chung-yong, Yeom Ki-hoon, Park Chu-young
Croatia (4-2-3-1):
GK: Pletikosa
DEF: Ćorluka, Šimunić, Kovač, Srna
MID: Perišić, Rakitić, Suker, Modrić, Kranjčar
FWD: Mandžukić
Upon seeing Croatia's lineup and positioning, commentator Krawšević exclaimed:
"Croatia has made a bold tactical switch—Suker is playing as central midfielder, and they're using four technically gifted midfielders. This signals they plan to dominate possession and control the midfield tempo."
"For any World Cup team, tactical variety is crucial. If Croatia can pull this off, other teams will have a lot to think about."
Croatia usually played a defensive counterattacking style, with high pressing layered on top.
But now, they had changed completely—looking to dominate possession.
Could it work?
The biggest question was Suker—he rarely played central midfield.
Would he perform well there?
On the Korean side, they were dumbfounded.
They had spent a full week preparing for Croatia's traditional setup.
Now, with the new formation, they had no idea how to respond.
Many players instinctively looked to the coaching staff, but even head coach Huh Jung-moo was visibly stunned.
"This tactic… we've never seen it before!"
Croatia's sudden formation change had left Korea totally unprepared.
But the match was about to start—like an arrow already nocked, it had to be fired.
Huh Jung-moo calmed his players and signaled them to stay focused.
He wanted to see what tricks Croatia would pull.
On the pitch, Suker kept hopping in place, warming up.
Feeling his muscles ready, he turned and shouted:
"Don't rush too much—we're not playing counterattack. Keep your positions!"
"Got it!" Mandžukić replied loudly from the front.
Modrić chuckled:
"I just hope you don't keep trying to play every ball forward."
"Relax!" Suker patted his chest. "This game, you're all my dogs—wherever I pass, you run!"
Everyone: speechless.
Suker was in charge of orchestrating the attack, but the way he said it... well, that was classic Suker.
"Let's go! Let's go!"
Srna clapped and shouted encouragement.
"At the start, pass more—play it safe!"
With the pre-match shouts echoing...
The match began.
BEEP!!!
The whistle blew.
Croatia kicked off immediately.
Mandžukić passed to Suker, who played it back with one touch.
Korean forwards charged forward, but Croatia quickly responded with a one-touch passing sequence and slowed the tempo.
Suker, stationed near the center circle, moved side to side—using his passing and ball control to stretch Korea's defensive shape and open up the width of the field.
Even if it was imitation Tiki-Taka, Suker wanted to try it.
Making the opponent chase like dogs? Feels good!
Right from the start, Croatia passed the ball nonstop.
Occasionally, Korea tried to press, but Suker rarely gave them the chance.
Even when he was cornered, he used his individual skill to escape with ease.