The dream is over and South Korea are out of the World Cup following a 1-0 defeat to Germany but coach Guus Hiddink believes his players should be proud of their efforts.
“We can be very proud of the boys and what they did, not just tonight, but throughout the whole tournament,’ ssaid Hiddink.
The Dutchman admits that the Germans gradually wore his side down and made their experience count.
“The German team were a little more experienced. We tried to close them down in the second half but in general we showed them a little too much respect” said Hiddink.
Hiddink said that his team had let themselves down when Germany scored. In the 75th minute South Korea gave away the ball in midfield, and Neuville crossed for Ballack to score the only goal of the game.
“We killed ourselves at that moment” added Hiddink.
Captain Hong Myung Bo agreed, saying that the Germans were tactically sound and also praising the contribution of the home fans throughout the tournament.
“The German team looked really prepared. Thank you to the people for all the cheering and support” he said.
