As the AM team secured victory in the second round, their total score against the South Korean team reached 1:1. However, due to South Korea's previous loss to Lebanon, the AM team confidently secured the top spot in the group.
With both matches against the formidable South Korean team concluded, the remaining opponents were considered insignificant, virtually guaranteeing the AM team the first place in the group.
Naturally, the South Korean team was also almost certain to finish second, provided they could successfully defeat Lebanon.
However, a problem arose. Do you recall what was mentioned earlier?
Considering how swiftly Boss Huang sought retribution, how could he possibly let such an opportunity slip by? Thus, a nightmare began for the South Korean team, the largest in their history, which would affect them for four years.
From the outset of the match between South Korea and Lebanon, the South Korean team, much like the AM team, launched a ferocious counter-attack and scored a goal within twelve minutes.
Just as the South Korean team was preparing to celebrate, the referee suddenly declared the goal offside and disallowed it.
Both the South Korean coach and players were stunned. Captain Park Jae-seong directly confronted the referee to argue, as he was the one who scored the goal. He was absolutely certain that when he received the pass, the opposing defender was in front of him, with at least two body lengths between them. How could it possibly be ruled offside?
However, the referee decisively disallowed the goal. Upon hearing this news, Park Jae-seong, in front of the referee, angrily uttered a Korean phrase. As there were no microphones, no one knew what was said.
But the referee confidently stated that it was a personal attack and, without hesitation, showed Park Jae-seong a red card. The veteran South Korean captain was then forcibly sent off the field, a decision that infuriated the South Korean team and those watching on television.
However, the South Korean team had to face an even worse problem: from the twelfth minute of the match, they would have to play with ten men against eleven.
This meant that despite the South Korean team's superior technical and tactical skills, their offense struggled to be effective due to the numerical disadvantage, as they were a man down.
Conversely, Lebanon began to find opportunities to attack.
The game remained stalemated throughout the first half until the end. In the second half, the Lebanese team found an opportunity and took a shot within the South Korean half. However, a South Korean defender actively blocked the ball with his body.
Just as the player was preparing to organize a counter-attack, the referee's whistle blew, directly awarding a penalty kick to Lebanon for a handball.
The defender was bewildered because he clearly understood that the ball had not struck his hand but rather the inside of his waist. At most, a slight edge of the ball had brushed against his inner arm. How could this be a penalty?
However, the referee's stance was resolute, and the broadcast even specially showed a replay from a tricky angle. From this angle, it seemed as if the ball had indeed touched the South Korean player's arm.
Regardless, the referee's decision was firm, and a penalty kick was awarded to Lebanon. South Korean players attempted to argue, but the referee prepared to issue red cards, forcing the South Korean players to disperse.
Otherwise, wouldn't they risk another red card and have to play nine against eleven?
Fortunately, the Lebanese team's luck with penalties was not great, and the shot was saved by the goalkeeper. The Koreans finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The enraged Koreans then vented their anger on their opponents. Eighteen minutes into the second half, they broke through Lebanon's defense with a brilliant diagonal run. Just as they were about to shoot, a Lebanese player marking from behind forcefully pulled down the South Korean player who was about to shoot, thus preventing the shot.
However, the Koreans were still pleased because the foul occurred within the penalty area, which, according to the rules, should have resulted in a penalty kick.
Furthermore, the opponent's pulling motion earlier was very obvious. Surely the referee wouldn't turn a blind eye to this now?
Indeed, the referee did not turn a blind eye, but instead, decisively issued a yellow card to the Lebanese player, warning him. And that was it.
"What!" This time, the Koreans were truly furious. They vehemently questioned the referee's decision, but the referee expressionlessly stated that his judgment was faultless and that they could appeal to the Football Association after the match if they had any objections.
He warned that if they continued to surround him, he would issue red cards.
So, the Koreans could only leave in tears. After this match, the Lebanese team seemed to understand how biased the referee was, and consequently, they abandoned many of their reservations, resorting to numerous unsportsmanlike tactics.
For instance, during attacks, they engaged in excessive physical contact, using their superior physique to forcefully throw the Koreans to the ground.
Most of these challenges went unpunished. Only twice, after two key South Korean forwards were knocked to the ground and unable to continue, did these players receive yellow cards each.
However, the opponent's main attacking players were effectively out of the game and had to be replaced by substitutes.
Furthermore, during defense, they completely disregarded their arms. As long as they didn't overtly use their hands to block the ball, they didn't have to worry about penalty kicks. As a result, the Lebanese defense became impenetrable, and the Koreans, having lost their forwards, were helpless.
Meanwhile, after bringing on two substitutes, the already depleted South Korean defense became shaky. Eventually, under continuous pressure from Lebanon, it collapsed, and the ecstatic Lebanese team scored a goal.
This one-goal lead was maintained until the end of the match, with Lebanon ultimately defeating South Korea 1-0 once again.
This was the final group stage match. The AM team had only lost one match to South Korea, finishing first in the group with 7 points.
The Lebanese team had lost twice to the AM team but defeated South Korea twice, ultimately finishing second in the group with 6 points.
As for the South Korean team, they lost one match to the AM team and two to Lebanon, finishing with only 5 points and sadly exiting the competition, failing to qualify for the next round of the East Asian 12 qualifiers.
This also meant that the South Korean team had failed to qualify for the World Cup and would not participate in the 2030 World Cup.
The news sent shockwaves through the Asian football community, with everyone incredulously asking if South Korea had actually failed to even enter the third round of qualifiers.
After confirming this fact, fans from China and Japan, or rather, their entire nations, were overcome with ecstasy, tears of laughter streaming down their faces.
The Koreans, naturally, were utterly devastated. However, this time, they unusually refrained from directing their anger at their own team. After all, the blatant injustice of the referee's decisions in the final match against Lebanon was evident.
Therefore, the South Korean Football Association immediately lodged a complaint with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), demanding that the match be declared void, rescheduled for a rematch, and that the head referee be severely punished.
Opinions within the AFC were divided. Some argued that the South Korean team represented one of Asia's strongest forces and that the referee's calls in the match were indeed excessively egregious, suggesting that South Korea should be given an opportunity for a rematch.
The Chinese Football Association surprisingly agreed with this opinion.
However, several football associations from the Middle East strongly opposed this, as South Korea's defeat meant that the additional spot would likely go to teams from their region, given that Lebanon was also considered their compatriot. They absolutely refused to allow South Korea a rematch.
Furthermore, their reasoning was comprehensive: in official World Cup qualifiers, and even in World Cup matches themselves, there had never been a precedent for a rematch due to referee errors.
More importantly, the referee had not actually made any significant errors. From the later match footage, it was evident that many handball and foul calls were misjudgments, but this was due to the referee's vision being obstructed, leading to incorrect decisions.
FIFA had previously stated that referee errors were part of the game's narrative. If one were to pursue consequences based on post-match replays, then Maradona's "Hand of God" clearly touched the ball.
However, because the referee did not see it, the penalty was not awarded. Would this not imply that Argentina's opponents could also demand a rematch of that game?
In any case, the AFC was internally in fierce debate. Moreover, given South Korea's usual conduct, most countries, excluding a small number of national football associations, stood in opposition.
However, considering South Korea's standing, the AFC shrewdly passed the disciplinary authority to FIFA, stating that they were unsure how to proceed and that FIFA should make the final judgment.
The Koreans were also quite hopeful about this, believing that FIFA would uphold justice. However, they forgot that the current FIFA president was an Italian.
Within just one day, FIFA announced that although the judgments were indeed problematic, they were not subjective errors by the referee and therefore held no grounds for annulment. This was the final match result, and the South Korean team should accept the facts, train diligently, and try again in four years!
Good heavens, South Korea erupted. Many agitated South Koreans clamored to teach FIFA a lesson, but they merely clamored.
After all, those who shout online usually lack the funds to fly to FIFA headquarters, and those who have the money to travel are less likely to commit such foolish acts.
However, to appease the unfortunate Koreans afterward, FIFA announced that the referee would be retired early and would no longer participate in any official international matches.
The Koreans also intended to direct their anger at this detestable referee, but the referee had already left for Italy immediately after the match, as he was Italian.
And in Italy, he received an unprecedented reception. Upon landing, he was greeted by over several thousand people. Certain local godfathers personally embraced him warmly, promising him eternal protection, and hailing him as Italy's most respectable avenger.
Well, although Italy can sometimes be foolish, they had clearly forgotten the animosity from 26 years ago, and what the Koreans had done to them back then.
In their eyes, this referee from Italy was merely retaliating, settling a score from 26 years ago.
They were returning the treatment they received 26 years ago, to the Koreans, precisely 26 years later.