Both countries had major question marks a year from kickoff, but South Korea turned those into one of the most memorable tourney runs ever
If there has been some criticism of Mauricio Pochettino almost a year out from the 2026 World Cup, Guus Hiddink could have said the same – and more – in the summer of 2001, when he was on the receiving end of thrashings and a new, unflattering, nickname.
A year and five days before South Korea started their campaign on home soil, the Dutchman was in charge as they lost 5-0 at home to France. The same scoreline happened again, a few weeks later, against the Czech Republic. A suddenly doubtful media dubbed the former Real Madrid boss ‘Oh Dae-yong,’ a Korean-sounding name that translates as ‘5-0’.