By Tariq Panja
June 16 (Bloomberg) -- North Korea blamed the World Cup’s latest goalkeeping error for its failure to secure one of the biggest upsets in soccer history yesterday.
The Asian team, ranked 105th in the world, had prevented five-time champion Brazil from scoring for 55 minutes when goalkeeper Ri Myong Guk allowed Maicon’s shot to go between him and the post and into the bottom corner. Elano scored Brazil’s second goal in the 72nd minute before Ji Yun Nam made the score 2-1 with a minute to go.

"We did very well to hold them," North Korea striker Jong Tae Se told reporters after the game at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. "Unfortunately there was a mistake by the goalkeeper. We always thought the first goal was the most important."
Ri’s mistake follows errors by three other goalkeepers during the first week of the tournament. On June 12 England’s Robert Green allowed the U.S. to tie after fumbling Clint Dempsey’s shot into his goal. A day later Algeria lost 1-0 to Slovenia after Faouzi Chaouchi pushed Robert Koren’s shot into the corner of his net. On June 14 a mistake by Paraguay’s Justo Villar saved holders Italy from defeat in Cape Town.
North Korea won crowd support when it last played in the
1966 World Cup in England as Pak Doo Ik, then a corporal in the country’s army, scored in his team’s 1-0 victory over Italy, which has won the cup four times.
The North Korean team today was cheered by about 100 supporters, clad in identical red outfits and flown into South Africa on the morning of the game by the country’s government.
The majority of the 54,331 in the crowd wore the yellow of Brazil, ranked behind Spain as second-favorites to win the tournament and clinch a record-extending sixth title.

‘Fought Well’

The North Koreans frustrated their opponents, whose team included former world player of the year Kaka and Robinho, the most expensive player bought by a U.K. club.
"I’m proud of our team," coach Kim Jong Hun told a post- match press conference. "The Brazilian team is a very strong team, and although we didn’t win, we fought very well."
Brazil was struggling to break through until Maicon’s strike. The Inter Milan defender burst down the right before firing the ball across goal and behind Ri. The ball, criticized by several players for its inconsistency, swerved into the back of the net.
"The ball is very favorable to us - it’s fantastic,"
Maicon said. "It also makes it a bit difficult for the goalkeepers."

Playing Ugly

Before the game Brazil coach Dunga said he didn’t care if his team played ugly to win. Elano’s goal was a rare bright moment in his team’s performance. The midfielder took the ball in his stride and shot after Robinho threaded his pass through several defenders.
"It doesn’t matter how you win the game," Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva told reporters. "It’s very important for us to start well, to win three points and now we go for the next game."
Coach Kim praised his team’s desire. Ji ran past several Brazilian defenders before shooting over a diving Julio Cesar .
"If you saw that I was happy about our goal, despite the result, it’s because our players played a good game and scored a good goal, so I was very proud."
Group G rivals Portugal and Ivory Coast tied 0-0 earlier in the day. Brazil meets Ivory Coast on June 20 and North Korea and Portugal meet a day later.