They had come to Ellis Park en masse to witness what was supposed to be a ringing demonstration of Brazilian flair but saw instead why Dunga has attracted so much venom in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and why no team in this tournament  - not New Zealand, not Japan and not North Korea - can be truly written off.


Until they tired in the second half, the North Koreans harried and defended with every fibre of their body and the tears Maicon wept as his extraordinary shot found the net demonstrated the enormous pressure this team is under, especially with Kaka still misfiring. Elano's second seemed to wrap up the match until Ji Yun-nam exposed more flaws in Dunga's grand design.