CAPE TOWN, South Africa — North Korea picked the wrong moment to allow its people to see a bit more of the outside world.
The authoritarian regime was so proud of its soccer team in the World Cup that it allowed an unprecedented live broadcast back home of the match against Portugal - a rarity for the communist nation that normally exerts strict control over the media.
What ensued was a different sort of history: North Koreans, used to seeing only positive news about their reclusive country, watched as their soccer team received the worst loss so far in this year’s tournament and was prevented from advancing to the next round.
As the 7-0 loss to Portugal concluded, the North Koreans quickly halted Monday’s coverage. “The Portuguese won the game and now have four points,” the Korean Central Broadcasting commentator said. “We are ending our live broadcast now.”
It then cut to factory workers and engineers praising North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
Dejected and dispirited, the North Korea team quickly left the stadium in Cape Town with heads bowed.
Star forward Jong Tae Se dropped to his knees as the game ended. He said he was upset they had made so many errors and apologized to his nation for failing to fulfill its World Cup hopes. The normally loquacious Jong later slipped out another entrance.
Portugal’s Tiago, who scored two goals, wished the North Koreans well in their final game against Ivory Coast but said he wasn’t sorry about the lopsided score, since getting lots of goals can help a team advance to the next round.
“It’s just football,” he said.
It is the first time in 44 years that North Korea has qualified for the World Cup, and North Korea’s players were feted as heroes when they returned home last year after qualifying.
In the past, only snippets of World Cup games were shown on state TV, sometimes weeks later. In 2002 and 2006, a South Korean broadcaster relayed live video as part of reconciliation efforts with the wartime rival, but North Korea chose to show only tape-delayed parts of matches.
After showing the team’s 2-1 loss to Brazil last week nearly a day later, Pyongyang’s state TV said the much-anticipated match against Portugal - the nation that ended the team’s World Cup dreams in 1966 - would be shown live.
Nervous but excited, goalkeeper Ri Myong Guk’s older brother and other relatives settled in at his in-laws’ apartment outside Pyongyang with beer and snacks to view Monday’s game.
“Watching the game live, I felt like I was in South Africa myself,” the brother, Ri Myong Il, told TV news agency APTN in Pyongyang.
But all were silent when Raul Meireles scored Portugal’s first goal after 29 minutes.
“Our defenders didn’t see him unexpectedly coming out from behind,” the state TV commentator said. “They should have more awareness about those coming from behind.”
At halftime, viewers were shown some World Cup history and an update on overall results, as well as the patriotic song “We Love Our Country the Most.” State TV made no attempt to conceal scenes of the crowd and sponsors’ ads plastered around the stadium.
Three more Portugal goals in the second half in a matter of minutes were met with more silence by Ri’s family in Pyongyang. By the fourth goal, all hope was gone. The end of the match, after seven goals, came as a relief for the goalkeeper’s relatives. There was a distinct sense that watching it live made the loss all the more painful.
The exhausted North Korea team trudged off the field, not even bothering with the tradition of swapping jerseys with the Portuguese players.
“Tactically speaking, we fell apart and couldn’t block their attacks,” Coach Kim Jong Hun said. “As the coach, I consider it my fault for not playing the right strategy - that’s why we conceded a lot of goals.”
Portugal Coach Carlos Queiroz offered words of support for Kim and his players.
“I register my respect for the North Korean team, whose players played in an extremely dignified way, without fouling players and with their head lifted very high,” he said. “I want to tell the North Korean coach that sometimes we have to face these results, and would just like to manifest my respect.”
But defectors said poor play overseas has meant punishment at home, including being “purged” and sent to coal mines.
The North Korea coach insisted Sunday that no punishment would await the team if it failed to advance.
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose; it doesn’t always turn out the way you want. But there are going to be no further consequences,” he said.
CHILE 1, SWITZERLAND 0
PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa - Substitute Mark Gonzalez scored on a header in the 75th minute as Chile beat 10-man Switzerland to move closer to a spot in the final 16.
Gonzalez headed home a pass from fellow sub Esteban Paredes, who had gotten around the staunch Swiss defense and crossed to Gonzalez at the back post. Gonzalez’s downward header beat goalkeeper Diego Benaglio.
Before Chile scored, Switzerland set a World Cup record in the 69th minute by going 551 minutes without allowing a goal, breaking the mark of 550 held by Italy at the 1986 and 1990 tournaments. Chile has won both its games in Group H.
Switzerland played a man down since the 31st minute when midfielder Valone Behrami was sent off with a straight red card for rough play.
SPAIN 2, HONDURAS 0
JOHANNESBURG - David Villa scored two goals as Spain got its World Cup pursuit back on track with a victory over Honduras.
Villa beat three defenders in the 17th minute before goalkeeper Noel Valladares got a touch on the Spain striker’s rising shot but not enough to keep it out.
Villa scored his 40th international goal in the 51st when his shot from the edge of the area deflected off a defender to go over Valladares. But Villa missed a penalty kick in the 62nd at Ellis Park, sending it wide right.
Spain has three points and can still win Group H with a victory over Chile, which earlier beat Switzerland 1-0 to lead with six points. Switzerland has three points and Honduras has zero.
Sports, Pages 15 on 06/22/2010