By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
South Korean football fans had been eagerly waiting for Thursday morning, shaking off sleepiness and turning on their televisions to see energetic midfielder Park Ji-sung of Manchester United waltz down the wing against Chelsea in the Champions League final in Moscow.
Some of them might have even expected the 27-year-old South Korean international to score a goal along with getting his name in the record book as the first Asian to play in the final match of the prestigious European tournament.
But Korean fans' hopes turned into disappointment, as United manager Alex Ferguson deployed England's Owen Hargreaves on the right wing with Christiano Ronaldo of Portugal on the opposite side that Park had filled.
To make matters worse, Park, who was much hyped to start the game, shockingly did not make the bench, either.
``Park has been showing solid performances such as playing the full 90 minutes in the quarter and semifinals and setting up a goal en route to the final,'' a football fan said. ``But watching Park in a suit in the stands is infuriating.''
Some people expressed emotional responses, rooting for the opposing team, sponsored by Korean company Samsung.
``I have cheered Manchester because Park plays for it,'' another football fan said. ``But it doesn't make sense that manager Ferguson picked Nani and Darren Fletcher for the bench instead of Park.''
Several international media reported Park's omission as a shocker. One journalist said that with the exception of Park's exclusion from United's match-day squad, there were no surprises, while another said Park's absence came as a surprise.
``My conditioning was not bad. I have no idea about the reason for my absence,'' Park said after the match.
``Despite my exclusion, I am satisfied that the team won. Not getting on the pitch is a pity to me, too, like South Korean fans.''