In the group games, Korea defeated Poland and tied the United States, earning the top spot in Group D with 4 points. The United States is in second place and Portugal is in 3rd with 1 win and 1 loss (3 points). If Korea beats or ties Portugal, it will gain a birth in the next round. If Korea loses, then the results of the U.S.?Poland match will be critical.

National team head coach Guss Hiddink said, “Tying is not the style of the Korean team,” and vowed strong offense. Hwang Sun-hong and Ahn Jung-hwan will be two who will be counted on for offense and Hong Myeong-bo will be counted on to defend against the powerful Portuguese.

Today, fans, especially those belonging to the Red Devils, the official supporters group of the national soccer team, will be out in full force on the streets to cheer on the Korean team. The mecca of street cheering, Gwanghwamun, and the plaza in front of City Hall is expected to be filled with hundreds of thousands of people, and there will be large screens set up all over Incheon for those fans who could not buy tickets. Fans will also gather at the Asiad Stadium in Busan, the beach at Haeundae in Busan, Memorial Park in Daegu, and Sangmu Citizens Park in Gwangju, among others.

In the last game of Group C, which took place on Thursday, Brazil and Turkey won berths in the next round with first- and second-place finishes, respectively. Brazil beat Costa Rica 5-2 at Suwon for 3 straight wins. Turkey beat China 3-0 in Seoul and had the same number of points as Costa Rica, but advanced by virtue of a better goal difference. China did not score one goal in the whole tournament and finished its first World Cup appearance with three losses. (Kim Dong-seok, ds-kim@chosun.com )