YOKOHAMA -- Brazilian soccer legend Pele said that the ability of the South Korean players to handle the pressure from their home fans was one of the reasons that South Korea progressed further than Japan in the World Cup.
Pele, speaking at a joint press conference hosted by World Cup sponsor MasterCard on Thursday at a Yokohama hotel, said he was impressed with the South Korean players' mental toughness in the tournament.
"The Korean team surprised me with their psychological strength in the game," Pele said. "Normally, the home team has problems handling the pressure from the crowd as expectations sometimes run too high. But the Korean team maintained its composure. It was unbelievable. It's become tough to play against Korea at home."