England beware. Reflecting upon Turkey's startling third place finish in only their second World Cup finals, the mohawked Milan midfielder Umit Davala's mind turned towards qualification for the 2004 European Championship.
"England? I saw their game against Brazil, so yes, I think we can beat them," Davala said.
England's qualifying campaign ends with a trip to Istanbul, and the days when they could sweep aside the Turks 8-0 without apparently breaking sweat, as happened twice in the 1980s, have long gone.
Both Turkey and England lost only to the champions Brazil in this tournament, but England don't have a player with the ability to control play in the manner of Yildray Basturk or a Hasan Sas.
As Ilhan Mansiz, scorer of two memorable goals against the Koreans, put it: "We showed the world that Turkish football has developed in the last years, and other teams will have to respect us from now on."
Davala was just as firm in his belief that Turkey's campaign owed nothing to luck: "I think we are the third-best team in the world. We play good football, in my opinion, and we played many good games."
On Saturday, though, one positive aspect of their play came far too late. Hakan Sukur's goal may have been the fastest in World Cup history - after only 11 seconds - but it was his first of a disappointing World Cup.
Had the Parma striker been on song, Turkey might even have skipped past Brazil into the final; as it was, when Sukur hit the high notes on Saturday, the Koreans were blown away.
First, Sukur profited from Hong's ghastly error, in the Korea sweeper's last international, to score that lightning-fast opener.
Then, he turned provider, setting the extremely promising Ilhan Mansiz free on two occasions, both of which ended with the longhaired striker wheeling away in triumph after smooth finishes.
It was Mansiz's third goal of the tournament, in only his first start. "Imagine what we might have done if he had started from the outset," rued one Turkish journalist.
Another man left ruing coaching changes was Guus Hiddink - his makeshift defence was overwhelmed in the first half by the skilful Turkish attacking players. The Koreans did strike back in some style, though - Lee Eul-Young's 11th-minute free-kick fizzed into the net like a cork from a Champagne bottle, while the Koreans' second-half onslaught, pushed on by a wonderful crowd, deserved more than Song Chung-Gug's 93rd minute consolation.
Even sadder than Saturday's loss for the Korean fans is Hiddink's departure. Though nothing has been confirmed, it seems all but certain that the Dutch coach will be moving back to Europe when his contract expires in a few weeks.
"I don't know what the future brings," Hiddink said. "But I like to be on the pitch, working every day with players, as you do in club football. Still, I am happy I have worked here."
Despite his use of the past-tense, Hiddink has been offered a new deal by the Korean FA: "I will think about it," was the non-committal response.
His most probable move is a return to Holland to take over at PSV, although there has also been speculation that he might replace David O'Leary at Leeds.
Wherever Hiddink ends up, if he makes the fans there half as happy as he has the Koreans, he will have done a fine job.
When the Korean players ganged up to throw their mentor high in the air in playful post-match homage, Hiddink received what was surely the loudest cheer of the entire World Cup.
SOUTH KOREA (3-4-3): Lee W-J; Yoo, Hong (Kim T-Y 46), Lee M-S; Song, Lee Y-P, Park, Lee E-Y (Cha 65); Seol (Choi T-U 79), Ahn, Lee C-S. Booked: Lee E-Y 23.
TURKEY: (4-4-2): Recber; Akyel, Korkmaz, Ozalan, Penbe; Davala (Buruk 76), Kerimoglu, Basturk (Havutcu 86), Belozoglu (Unsal 41); Mansiz, Sukur. Booked: Kerimoglu 50, Recber 83.
