25mins: Germany 0 Korea 0

Twenty-five minutes gone and still no breakthrough despite an unexpectedly open early spell.

Germany 0 Korea 0 - latest

Twenty-five minutes gone and still no breakthrough in Seoul despite an unexpectedly open start to this first World Cup semi-final.

The match kicked off with an electrifying atmosphere in the stadium, 60,000 screaming Korean fans all seemingly dressed in red.

Germany’s Carsten Ramelow had the first shot of the game in the second minute but the keeper Woon Jae-Lee, penalty shoot-out hero of the quarter-finals, saves easily.

But the first real chance comes at the other end when Chun Soo-Lee forces Oliver Kahn to prove his status as a world-class goalkeeper with a diving save to his right from a shot across the face of goal in the eighth minute.

Underdogs Korea were hoping to upset the form book again and book their place in the final of the World Cup by overcoming the formidable threat of a Germany side in their 10th semi-final.

Cheered on by another 60,000-plus red barrage of noise and hysteria, the joint hosts want to put all the allegations of a conspiracy theory behind them and prove that they are worthy of a place among the world’s elite.

However, golden boy Ahn Jung-hwan Ahn has not recovered from an ankle injury, neither has Seol Ki-hyun, while Kim Nam-Il is also out with the same injury.

It gives 21-year-old Korea university student Cha Doo-ri the chance to start his first game of the tournament, following in the footsteps of his father Cha Bum-kun, a Korean soccer legend. Lee Chun-soo and veteran Hwang Sun-hong also come into the side.

Germany included Dietmar Hamann in the line-up after he recovered from a knee problem and boss Rudi Voller went for three strikers in Marco Bode, Oliver Neuville and Miroslav Klose in the hope of overpowering the Koreans before the hosts get up a head of steam.

Christian Ziege and Sebastian Kehl were dropped to the bench to allow Bode and Carsten Ramelow back into the team.