WORLD CUP MEXICO 86 : South Korea Is Ousted but Shows Heart, Seoul

The words emblazoned on the banner that had been placed carefully to draw the maximum attention read simply: “88 SEOUL OLYMPIC.”

The grammar might not have been perfect, but the message was clear: The South Koreans will be back, and in their own country in two years they will be a great deal stronger and even more competitive.

For now, though, they must return home, having been knocked out of the 1986 World Cup soccer tournament here Tuesday afternoon when they were defeated by Italy, 3-2.

All three Italian goals were scored by Alessandro Altobelli, his hat trick matching that of Denmark’s Preben Elkjaer two days earlier and moving him ahead of the Dane for the individual scoring lead.

Curiously, however, Altobelli’s feat went almost unnoticed and certainly unappreciated by the Cuauhtemoc Stadium crowd. What fans there were in the half-empty stadium--adding to the belief that tickets for Cup games have been priced too high--were more interested in applauding the South Korean players.

So, while Altobelli was securing Italy’s second-place finish behind Argentina in Group A with goals in the 19th, 74th and 83rd minutes, the Mexican fans kept urging the South Koreans to even greater efforts.

And try the South Koreans did. After Ho Soon Choi had tied the score at 1-1 in the 63rd minute with a superbly struck shot from 20 yards that was still rising as it flashed into the roof of the net, the South Koreans kept up the pressure.

For the next 10 minutes or so, while the crowd was shouting ole for each pass the South Koreans strung together, Coach Jung Nam Kim’s team carried the game to the defending world champions.

In fact, it was only a vicious foul just outside the penalty area by Italy’s Pietro Vierchowod that prevented Bum Keun Cha from possibly putting South Korea ahead in the 71st minute.

The yellow caution card Vierchowod earned for his thuggish block was just one of five doled out by referee David Socha, whose own performance at times seemed less than consistent.

Still, using fair means and foul, the Italian defense was able to repel the South Korean attacks, and it was only a matter of time before Italy retook the lead through the counterattack.

With 17 minutes left in the game, Altobelli took advantage of a mix-up in the South Korean defense to slip the ball past goalie Kyung Hoon Park after a free kick.

That made it 2-1, and it was 3-1 nine minutes later when the short-passing game that Italian Coach Enzo Bearzot has lately been preaching yielded dividends. No fewer than eight Italian players were involved in the series of give-and-go plays before Altobelli finished the move by again beating the goalie from in close.

South Korea might have been forgiven for calling it quits at this point, trailing, 3-1, with fewer than eight minutes to play. But the red-clad Koreans did not give up.

In the 85th minute, Soon tried to add to his earlier goal with a shot that screamed over the cross-bar. Two minutes later, Jung Moo Huh hit a rocket-like volley that unfortunately was aimed straight at Italian goalkeeper Giovanni Galli.

Finally, with the seconds left, Jung was rewarded when his fierce shot from the right slide flashed into the net beneath Galli’s dive. That made it 3-2, but there was no time for more heroics as Socha blew the final whistle.

In a sporting gesture, several Italian and South Korean players swapped jerseys, but as the South Koreans left the field to the applause of the crowd, they were left to wonder about several things, not the least of which was Socha’s strange call in the first half.

The American referee, who already had been involved in controversy for apparently missing a call in Guadalajara earlier in the tournament, this time saw something that appeared to have not occurred.

The incident happened in the 36th minute during an offensive foray by the Italians. Altobelli and South Korea’s Jung were racing into the penalty area with about a yard separating them when Altobelli plunged to the ground.

Socha, apparently thinking that Jung had tripped or pushed Altobelli, pointed to the penalty spot. The South Koreans protested vehemently, claiming that Altobelli had purposely fallen, but all it earned them was another warning.

With the crowd booing, Altobelli stepped up to take the kick, fired the ball toward the lower left corner of the net and was surprised to see it strike the post and rebound clear.

It might have been poetic justice that the nonfoul had not yielded a goal, but Socha’s call did leave more than a few people in the stadium wondering just what it was the referee thought he had seen.

As for the South Koreans, most of whom are amateurs, their next appearance on the world stage will be in Seoul in 1988. Given their encouraging performance in Mexico, they probably can’t wait.