Italy's exit also meant that Maldini would finish a remarkable international career without a trophy after playing in losing finals at the World Cup and European Championship. It was a disappointing end for Maldini, outjumped by Ahn Jung-hwan as the South Korean scored the goal that knocked Italy out. He retired from international football after the 2002 World Cup with 126 caps and seven goals.

It was a measure of Maldini's consummate professionalism that he played on for AC Milan until the age of 40, retiring in May 2009 after over 900 appearances for the club. Naturally right-footed, Maldini nevertheless excelled on the left side of defence where he became renowned for his inspirational captaincy, elegant skills and unflappable temperament. Regarded as the finest defender in the world when at his peak, Maldini played in four World Cups with Italy. Ronaldo, fit again after his 1998 nightmare, scored both goals in the final as Brazil clinched a record fifth crown. They failed to score a goal and managed only a draw and two defeats to crash out miserably in the first round, the worst performance by any defending champion.īut while Senegal's giant-killing run took them all the way to the quarter-finals, the most notable minnows were hosts South Korea, who recorded wins over Portugal, Italy and Spain before they bowed out in the last four to Germany.Ī tournament characterised by upsets ended with two of the World Cup's greatest powers - Brazil and Germany - meeting in the final. Upsets were to prove the hallmark of the tournament from the outset, when World Cup debutants Senegal beat holders France with a 1-0 win in the opening match in Seoul.įrance's demise was one of the most striking surprises of the finals.

In the event, the tournament passed off peacefully and the only shocks were restricted to the field of play. The build-up was dominated by fears over security following the Septemattacks on New York and Washington, and it was a sign of the times that anti-aircraft missile batteries were deployed around the gleaming new stadia. The first World Cup ever to be staged outside Europe or the Americas, the 2002 finals were also the first to be shared by two nations, with South Korea and Japan earning co-hosting rights.

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