The 2014 Incheon Asian Games is a festival for 45 different countries across the continent. Athletes and players from all except the host nation, South Korea, must wrestle with jetlag, unfamiliar weather, new foods, language barriers and even nostalgia.

But here at the Goyang Stadium during men's football quarterfinals match between Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan on Friday stood locals ready to solace the foreign athletes.

The match was not only a battle among players on the ground, but also a contest between voluntary South Korean supporters of the two countries.

A flock of some 70 supporters in green-colored uniform -- resembling Saudi Arabia's national flag -- held pickets of their favorite player's name, pictures and cheerful messages.

They were identified as executives and staff members of S-Oil, South Korea's leading refinery.

A staff member, Kwak Su-ji, was saddened when Saudi Arabia allowed a goal by Uzbekistan midfielder Jamshid Iskanderov near the end of the first half.

"We want to fill up the whole stadium with our voices," Kwak said. "The players do their best until the end of the game, no matter what. I'm moved by that. Lesson learned."

Kwak and her co-workers recognized that Saudi Arabian supporters were not so large in number.

"In the old days, I remember seeing South Korean celebrities on TV cheering among the home crowd of foreign countries," said Kim Seung-bae, another employee of S-Oil. "Today's match reminds me of those moments, as if we are how they had been."

Saudi Arabia has played four matches so far, including the one against South Korea in the group preliminaries.

Kim Ho-jeong, S-Oil director of public affairs, said the match between Saudi Arabia and his home country was no exception to his support for the Saudis, yet was faced with a slight dilemma.

"We supported all four games that Saudi Arabia played in, including the preliminary with South Korea," Kim said. "But that time, we supported both teams (laughter). We held both flags."

Despite having no acquaintance with each other, Saudi Arabians in the stands also flocked with the South Korean group and shouted "Saudi Arabia" altogether.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stadium, some 350 people occupied the middle -- roughly 70 of them being Uzbeks residing in South Korea. They formed a big national flag with their balloons colored with indigo, white and green from top to bottom. They were all employees of Myeon Sarang, a local noodle manufacturing company.

When the Uzbek football team possessed the ball and created goal opportunities in the second half, both South Koreans and Uzbeks rose to their feet and rooted them on in their native tongues.

The Saudi Arabian team ended up winning the match 3-2, with midfielder Abdulaziz Albishi's free kick goal during the second half injury time being the tiebreaker.

Myeon Sarang CEO Jeong Se-jang said he was disappointed with the result of the match. His intention to delight Uzbek employees and South Korean co-workers was only half successful.

"The employees have been giving the company their best efforts and I appreciate that," Jeong said. "That's how I began to plan a visit to the Asian Games, to please our employees."

Saudi Arabia will now confront Iraq in the quarterfinals, which will take place at Goyang Stadium on Sept. 28.



By Son Ji-hyoung (AGNS)