Once there were 32 teams in this World Cup, the survivors of qualifying rounds all over the world. The colonized had their way over the colonials in the opening game, with Senegal showing France to be a weary and disjointed defending champion. In short order, one host team in this weird two-headed tournament, Japan, went to the Round of 16.

South Korea went to the semifinals. Good grief, even the Americans, those cute little underdogs, went to the quarterfinals. These outsiders from Europe were in a World Cup with one quarterfinalist from Asia, one from Africa and one from North America. In the past two World Cups, every quarterfinalist was from Europe or South America.

“We came to the World Cup to take part in the festival and make an impact,’’ Senol Gunes, the Turkish coach, said. ‘‘I think we’ve achieved our goal and I am proud of my players, who have done absolutely superbly. We are sorry about only one thing, that we couldn’t give the Turkish people another source of happiness” They will have this memory of shaking up the World Cup. But now there is a seventh final for Brazil and a seventh final for Germany. No underdogs here.

June 27, 2002. By George Vecsey(Saitama)

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