among the clubs named as a potential destination. The temptation to manage another World Cup-bound international team proved irresistible to him, however, as he agreed to coach the South Korea national team on 1 January 2001. South Korea Hiddink became manager of South Korea in January 2001. Success did not come easily with a team that had appeared in five-straight World Cups but had yet to win a single match. South Korea was one of the host nations for the 2002 FIFA World Cup tournament, along with Japan. There was an expectation that the hosts would progress to the second round of the tournament and it was clearly expressed that Hiddink's team was expected to perform to that standard as well. Hiddink's first year in charge was not met with favourable reviews from the South Korean press, as he was often spotted together with his girlfriend when some felt he should instead have been taking charge of the team. After a 2–1 loss to the United States Gold Cup team in January 2002, he was criticized again for not taking his job seriously. Nevertheless, the team he assembled was a cohesive unit. However, Hiddink began focusing on physical fitness for players during training in preparation for the World Cup later that year. In the World Cup itself, the South Korea team achieved its first ever victory in the first stage (2–0, against Poland), and after a 1–1 draw with the U.S. and a further 1–0 victory against heavily favoured Portugal, the South Korea team qualified for the second round. Their second round opponents were Italy, who they defeated 2–1 on the golden goal rule. The Korean public then began to dream of a semi-final berth, a dream that was realized after defeating Spain on penalties in the quarter-final. This surpassed the record of their North Korean counterparts 36 years before, who had beaten Italy to reach the quarter-finals. The South Korea team's run was halted by Germany, managed by Rudi Völler, in the semi-finals. As with the Netherlands team four years before in France, Hiddink led his team into fourth place after a 3–2 defeat to Turkey in the third-place playoff. Prior to the tournament, football pundits and fans alike never expected this level of success. Many in South Korea were overjoyed when the country reached the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup. Hiddink became the first-ever person to be