Koo Ja-cheol met Keisuke Honda, who delivered the 'Sapporo catastrophe' to him.
On the afternoon of the 3rd, SBS's 'Gol Ttaerineun Nyeoseokdeul - Legend Korea-Japan match' aired, featuring legendary players who represented Korea and Japan facing off on the ground. Park Ji-sung and Hidetoshi Nakata appeared as commentators.
That day's match featured the top stars from both countries: for Korea, Lee Young-pyo, Seol Ki-hyeon, Lee Dong-gook, Lee Keun-ho, Park Joo-ho, Koo Ja-cheol, and Kim Young-kwang competed. Japan fielded 'Korea-Japan match killers,' including Keisuke Honda, Yoichiro Kakitani, Masakiyo Maezono, Shoji Cho, Yuji Nakazawa, Hisato Sato, and Yuta Minami.
A day before the match, Park Ji-sung, ahead of a Korea-Japan match for the first time in 14 years, said, "Matches between Korea and Japan in soccer have a special meaning, so I also want to feel that tension and look forward to how the game will unfold."
He said, "I still consider them rivals," and Seol Ki-hyeon confessed, "Even now, when it's a Korea-Japan match it's a big deal, but back then it was crazy."
Koo Ja-cheol said, "On Aug. 10, 2011, I played in the Korea-Japan national team match at Sapporo Stadium, and we lost 3-0." His expression conveyed the dire situation at the time.
Keisuke Honda said, "Matches against Korea were always serious. I thought Japanese and Korean players got along well, but sometimes the media pushes the narrative that our relationship is not good."
They met again through the 'Legend Korea-Japan match' after 14 years. Attention is focused on whether Koo Ja-cheol can erase the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Keisuke Honda.
[Photo] Broadcast capture
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