The semi-final match is over and in an exciting final second goal, Korea DPR advances to the final. Carol-Anne led the referee team to a successful match. At 75 minutes prior to kick-off, I went to the locker rooms to check the players. Both locker rooms were very quiet and the players seemed nervous. This was a big match for both teams and the tension was quite evident. I wished the players good luck and headed back to check on the referee team. Carol-Anne, Rita and Cindy were ready to go. Of course, just like the players, the referees also experience nerves before a big match and our crew was no different; however, we try to keep things light in the locker room. After warm-ups, the teams lined up to enter the field for the anthems. This match was special as FIFA was celebrating anti-discrimmation. I was asked to carry 2 microphones out to the field and give them to each captain to recite a speech. The captains were nervous about speaking in front of the large crowd (about 12,000) and I was nervous that I would not turn on the microphones properly. Of course, I checked once, twice, three times before handing them over the captains. I was tempted to give my own little speech, but I refrained. :) Fortunately, everything went off without a hitch and before we knew it, the match was starting.
The first half was uneventful, but the teams made up for the lack of excitement and intensity in the second half. Carol-Anne did a great job of managing the players. France went up early in the second half so the match was not marked with Korean delay tactics that we have seen in many of their matches. It was nice to see both teams playing football (soccer) and not displaying gamesmanship. The Koreans had a goal disallowed by an offside decision. It was an extremely close decision. At the 4th official table, there is a tv broadcast with replay. Although I was busy managing the benches at the time, the media officer watched it on the replay and thought the decision was good. Only 4 minutes later, the Koreans tied the score. The team erupted with excitement. Both teams continued to push forward hoping to get the better of the other team, but at 90 minutes, the score was still tied at 1-1. I displayed the additional 2 minutes and dug the coin out of my pocket to get ready for possible extra time. For those who do not know, the additional time is actually the MINIMUM time to play which means that if the referee indicates 2 minutes of additional time, there can be up to 2:59. Well, at 2:20 of injury time (i.e. 92:20), Korea DPR scored the decisive goal. The Korean bench cleared and the players piled on top of the goal scorer. Of course, the French players held their heads in their hands with disappointment written all over their faces. The French coaching staff was in shock, but at the same time, trying to encourage their team to regroup. Despite playing another minute of additional time, France was unable to equalize. Korea DPR advanced to the finals and France to the 3rd/4th place match. Despite dominating play with an average of approximately 59% possession, France was unable to capitalize on their opportunities. The disappointment of the players and fans alike was evident. So close and yet so far....
After the match, we headed back to the hotel to watch the second semi-final, USA vs Germany - another match that promised to be a barn burner. Although we were unable to watch the match on the television, we were able to watch the match streamed over the Internet in the FIFA office. Both teams came to win and they did not disappoint the Chilean crowd. It was a great show of skill and teamwork by both teams, but the US put a lot of pressure on Germany and it was this pressure that ended up scoring them the winning goal. The US moved extremely well as a team both on offense and defense. It was quite a show by both teams. At the end of the match, we ate dinner and then headed off to bed.
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