That did not matter as up stepped Raouf Bouzaine to curl a left-foot shot past Geert de Vliegert into the top corner of the net.MATCH DETAILSTunisia 1Bouzaine 17Belgium 1Wilmots 13TUNISIA (4-5-1): Boumnijel (Bastia); Badra (Esperance), Trabelsi (Ajax), Bouzaine (Genoa), Jaidi (Esperance); Gabsi (Genoa), Bouazizi (Bursaspor), Ben Achour (Martigues), Ghodbane (Etoile Sportive du Sahel), Melki (Esperance); Jaziri (Etoile Sportive du Sahel). Substitutes: Sellimi (Freiburg) for Gabsi, 67; Zitouni (Esperance) for Jaziri, 77; Beya (Besiktas) for Melki, 88.BELGIUM (4-4-2): De Vlieger (Willem II); Deflandre (Lyon), Van Buyten (Marseilles), De Boeck (Anderlecht), Van der Heyden (Club Bruges); Verheyen (Club Bruges), Vanderhaeghe (Anderlecht), Simons (Club Bruges), Goor (Hertha Berlin); Wilmots (Schalke 04), Strupar (Derby). Substitutes: Sonck (Genk) for Verheyen, h-t; Vermant (Schalke 04) for Strupar, h-t; Mpenza (Excelsior) for Simons, 74. Referee: M Shield (Australia).Bookings: Tunisia: Gabsi, Ghodbane, Trabelsi, Melki Belgium: Van Buyten.Attendance: 37,900..

The debate as to who should keep goal for America probably ended here yesterday when Brad Friedel produced an exceptional performance to take his side to the brink of qualification from Group D. Not only had Friedel earlier become the first goalkeeper in these World Cup finals to stop a penalty, but the Blackburn man also produced at least two other splendid saves to surely confirm that he will be coach Bruce Arena’s No 1 choice in the future.”When he was stepping up to the ball I felt he was just going to go to that side,” said Friedel of the penalty save. “I gave a little bit of a fake, like I was going that way, then went back to the middle and I was fortunate enough that he put it within my reach.”All of which will be bad news for Friedel’s Premiership rival Kasey Keller, who had been led to believe that the two keepers would be rotated. But this game between two countries who are supposed to be among the World Cup’s also-rans was about far more than one individual’s heroics.From a flippant point of view, Friedel’s contribution hardly helped to diffuse the anti-American feeling stoked by student protests. The military helicopter hovering over the Daedeok Hill overlooking the stadium was presumably on the look-out for activities far more sinister than misguided student uprisings.There was unprecedented security outside the ground, but it was convivial or, as Friedel put it “great, not hostile at all”. He could have been forgiven for believing he was back at Anfield. The stadium was awash with replica red shirts.The few isolated pockets of fans wearing stars and stripes were forced to combat the deafening roar that could have unnerved a less-disciplined side than Arena’s Americans, who could not afford to concede an early goal if they were going to build on their shock victory over Portugal.It was as well that Sunderland’s Claudio Reyna and Clint Mathis were fit enough to return and supplement a midfield already containing the excellent John O’Brien.

America had scarcely threatened when O’Brien embarked on a run that ended with an exquisite pass to Mathis, who controlled the ball well and then banged it past Lee Woon-Jae.The veteran forward Hwang Sun-Hong was the man supposedly fouled by Jeff Agoos when the co-hosts were awarded their 40th-minute penalty. Friedel, who had already foiled Seol Ki-Hyeon with an outstretched leg, plunged to his right to keep out Lee Eul-Yong’s spot kick but, if anything, he surpassed that save by going down low to deny Seol Ki-Hyeon on the restart.America, breaking out in impressive numbers, rued Landon Donovan’s failure to connect with a simple chance when Ahn Jung-Hwan headed the equaliser from Lee Eul-Jong’s free kick. Ultimately America survived only because Choi Yong-Soo lifted an opportunity over a gaping goal in the 89th minute. Doubtless, though, Friedel would have saved.MATCH DETAILSSouth Korea 1Ahn Jung-Hwan 78United States 1Mathis 24SOUTH KOREA (3-4-3): Lee Woon-Jae (Suwon Bluewings); Choi Jin-Chul (Chonbuk Hyundai), Hong Myung-Bo (Pohang Steelers), Kim Tae-Young (Chunnam Dragons); Song Chong-Gug (Pusan Icons), Kim Nam-Il (Chunnam Dragons), Yoo Sang-Chul (Kashiwa Reysol), Lee Eul-Yong (Puchon); Park Ji-Sung (Kyoto Purple Sanga), Hwang Sun-Hong (Kashiwa Reysol), Seol Ki-Hyeon (Anderlecht). Substitutes: Lee Chun-Soo (Ulsan Hyundai) for Park Ji-Sung, 37; Ahn Jung-Hwan (Perugia) for Hwang Sun-Hong, 55; Choi Yong-Soo (JEF United Ichihara) for Yoo Sang-Chul, 69. UNITED STATES (4-4-1-1): Friedel (Blackburn); Sanneh (Nuremberg), Pope (Washington DC Utd), Agoos (San Jose Earthquakes), Hejduk; Donovan (both Bayer Leverkusen), O’Brien (Ajax), Reyna (Sunderland), Beasley (Chicago Fire); Mathis (New York-New Jersey MetroStars), McBride (Columbus Crew). Substitutes: Lewis (Fulham) for Beasley, 74; Wolff (Chicago Fire) for Mathis, 81Referee: U Meier (Switzerland).Bookings: South Korea: Hong Myung-Bo United States: Hejduk, Agoos.Attendance: 60,778..

Under the admiring gaze of Eusebio, who travels with Portugal’s squad as a goodwill ambassador, Pauleta revived his country’s hopes of a place in the last 16 with their first hat-trick in the World Cup finals since the great man himself scored four against North Korea at Goodison Park 36 years ago. They now move on to meet South Korea knowing that victory will take them into the second round. Poland will be playing for pride alone in their last match, against the US.Chonju rose to acclaim Pauleta, yet the city had spent the afternoon in a patriotic frenzy, relegating this game temporarily to the status of sideshow. At the stadium, a futuristic structure set amid paddy fields, high-rise flats and flyovers, policemen and stewards massed around portable televisions to watch the co-hosts’ draw with the Americans.