Portugal 7-0 North Korea: The Massacre on National Television

# Portugal 7-0 North Korea: The Massacre Broadcast Live Nationwide

# Portugal 7-0 North Korea: The Massacre Broadcast Live Nationwide

June 21, 2010. Cape Town, South Africa. World Cup group stage. Portugal vs North Korea. This match is so famous in World Cup history not just because of the scoreline. It's because North Korea made the bravest—and most disastrous—decision in World Cup history: a nationwide live television broadcast.

North Korea's first group stage match against Brazil had stunned the world. They lost only 1-2—fighting until the very last second and scoring a goal in the dying moments. That goal sent North Korean state media into ecstasy, and top leaders authorized a live television broadcast for the second match. It was a rare opportunity for North Koreans to watch their national team compete on the world stage from their TV screens. All of Pyongyang—at least those households with televisions—sat in front of their screens, ready to watch their heroes create miracles once again.

Then Portugal scored. Raul Meireles. 1-0. Simão. 2-0. Hugo Almeida. 3-0. Tiago—first goal. 4-0. Liedson. 5-0. Tiago—second goal. 6-0. Cristiano Ronaldo. 7-0. That goal carried a strange sense of absurdity—the ball hit Ronaldo's back and bounced into the net. He didn't deliberately shoot. The ball just found him and then hopped off his back into the goal. He smiled—that kind of "I don't know how to celebrate because this isn't even a real goal" smile.

North Korea's goalkeeper Ri Myong-guk picked the ball out of the net seven times. Live on national television. In Pyongyang, it's said the broadcast was cut off after the fifth goal. No one knows what happened next—because the TV screen went blank. But those who watched the first five goals saw their heroes torn apart by a second-tier European team. After that match, North Korea never again broadcast a World Cup game live nationwide.