France just could not put South Korea away, although they had plenty of chances. Thierry Henry opened his account and scored France’s first goal since the 1998 finals. Florent Malouda provided some firepower, most of it misdirected. France could have gone two up when Patrick Viera headed in a corner, and Lee Woon Jae managed to keep the ball out, but the call could have been disputed as it appeared that the ball had actually crossed the goal line. But the French never did. Maybe they were in a magnanimous mood and figured they would score another half a dozen goals.
The South Koreans fought back and equalized through Park Ji Sung in the 80th minute. France played better but with 62 goals in 135 internationals between Hnery and Trezeguet, you wonder where the firepower has gone.
South Korea again has a great chance to make it through to the next round. Togo and Switzerland meet tomorrow and both could pip France to the post. It could be another 4 years of futility for France.