The first World Cup in the Arab world was also the second held entirely on the globe's most populous continent and heavyweights Argentina, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Denmark all tasted defeat at the hands of Asian confederation teams.
"Brazil deserved to win ... but it has been extraordinary what has happened with Korean football over the last four years," South Korea coach Paulo Bento said after the 4-1 defeat. Their neighbours Saudi Arabia stood the football world on its head, however, when they came from behind to beat Lionel Messi's Argentina 2-1 in their opening match in what statisticians Gracenote credited as the biggest shock in World Cup history.
Japan stunned both Germany and Spain 2-1 to top a tough group even after they suffered a 1-0 shock themselves at the hands of Costa Rica. South Korea's never-say-die attitude earned them a last-gasp 2-1 win over Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal that sealed their place in the last 16, Hwang Hee-chan striking in stoppage time to secure a famous win.