Ballack spoils the love story

South Korea - 0 Germany - 1WORLD CUP 2002: Well, it was a love story and love stories end. For one last night Korea was a long, swaying field of red poppies, but today the land of morning calm returns to its customary state of quiet repose.

It is for the rest of us to thank them for the memories and the good times they shared. Germany, the most seasoned of travellers, move back to Japan this morning. Another World Cup final awaits them this Sunday.

Ah, the Koreans, they almost turned this semi-final into another night of wonder. They bowed out in the end without tears and with gracious applause for their conquerors. They released their firecrackers anyway and they lingered long in the stands and in the streets, singing their songs and chanting in unison. They went home happy knowing that something lovely and fundamental happened to Korean life these past few weeks.

Something has happened to German life, too: they've got lucky. Do the same things for long enough and it's bound to happen. This team, the least regarded and least loved the country has sent out for a very long time, has stumbled into a colourful but mediocre World Cup and discovered that merely being efficient and methodical is enough.

Having a wonderful goalkeeper helps, too. That last-minute effort of Robbie Keane's remains Oliver Kahn's only experience of lifting work in this World Cup. Last night, the Koreans were too fussy about teeing up their chances to keep Kahn fully occupied, but one save in the eighth minute when Korea broke down the right and Cha Du Ri fed Chun Soo Lee for a shot will make the highlights reel of this tournament. Kahn went to his right and palmed the ball away at full stretch. Korea's night was different after that.

Last night the giant screens at either end of the stadium had coloured lines monitoring the decibels below. Green for mere din. Yellow for riotous cacophony. Pink for the neighbours in Japan to start complaining about the racket.

They kept it in the pink all night apart from those few, shellshocked moments which followed Michael Ballack's goal. The noise and the colour was a tribute to boundless optimism, however, and the connection between the mood of the support and the mood of the team on the field seemed to have gone awry.

Korea, a little nervy and a little exhausted, seldom got running at the Germans in the manner we have been accustomed to. They passed neatly, but something in them made them a little too respectful of their more vaunted opposition.

If anything the scandalous, slightly racist whinging from football's first world about some refereeing mistakes played into Germany's hands last night too.

The Germans, aware that the air was still scented by sour Italian and Spanish grapes, played along. Carsten Ramelow was lucky twice in the first half when he misjudged critical leaps. Referee Urs Meier fell for his "let's all fall down" routine both times. Miroslav Klose was inclined to tumble when tackled or approached in the area. Meier was more circumspect about that.

The Koreans looked best on the counter. They moved the ball at quite a clip out of defence, passing fluently as they galloped goalwards. On 16 minutes last night they had another successful excursion down the right, but this time Park Si Sung's shot went straight to Kahn's midriff. Thereafter their fortunes waned.

Until about the 35th minute the stats showed possession divided about equally, but had it been a boxing match the Germans would have been ahead on points for the muscular directness of their play.

The last minutes of the first half, however, were an exhibition in how 11 people can torture 41 million others. The 11 Germans camped in Korean territory and Marco Bode, Klose and Oliver Neuville all went near as the ball pinballed around the Korean area. Ballack was nudging and prompting; Dietmar Hamman, who passed a late fitness test, was digging out possession; and Bode, in particular, was raiding well down the wing.

The problem, and one which will be accentuated in Ballack's absence on Sunday, is creativity. This is a team of sturdy woodworkers, nailing together moves that don't come near to being things of beauty.

When Guus Hiddink got his team into the dressing-room at half-time, presumably he reminded them of that. The second half held much more promise for the Koreans.

Yoo Sang Chul was having a terrific evening, calm on the ball and thoughtful in distribution. Ahn Jung Hwan joined the proceedings early in the second half and was inventive and patient against the robust German defence.

Korea worked the ball more, and if it weren't for their insistence on taking one pass too many in front of goal they might have snatched something.

As it was disaster came when they least expected it. It took a fine tackle from Torsten Frings to arrest Cha in the 52nd minute when the Korean was clean through. They continued to press and were soon enjoying a period of promise.

The signs were there: 69 minutes and Klose, poor all evening, is hauled off. Seventy minutes, Ballack picks up a yellow which ends his tournament when he is forced to bring down Lee as the Koreans break with a numerical advantage. Seventy-one minutes, Song Chong Gug thumps a 25-yarder into the stout chest of Kahn.

And then in the 73rd minute Ballack shatters the night. Frings comes down the right again, crosses low. The Korean defence is caught in a moment of philosophical contemplation. Ballack, all alone, first-times it. Lee Won Jae saves. Ballack reflexively stabs the rebound to the net. The silence is so sudden that his celebration looks inappropriate.

They kept coming, the Koreans, they refused to go gently into that little third-place play-off. But against Germany chances are rare enough without requiring them to be gift-wrapped too.

Lee Yong Po drove a wonderful chance wide, in injury time Park was set up by Choi but his shot was awful. Hiddink had no more miracles in his bespoke pockets.

What chance a fourth German World Cup? They defend well and attack ploddingly and look awful. What was that KitKat ad? They should go a long way.

SUBSTITUTES - South Korea: Ahn Jung Hwan for Hwang Sun Bong (53 mins), Lee Min Sung for Choi Jin Cheul (55 mins), Seol Ki Hyeon for Hong Myung Bo (80 mins). Germany: Oliver Bierhoff for Klose (69 mins), Jens Jermeies for Berndt Schneider (84 mins), Gerald Asamoah for Neuville (87 mins).

YELLOW CARDS - South Korea - Lee Min-sung 90. Germany - Michael Ballack 71, Oliver Neuville 85.