Dedicated soccer fans in Ottawa woke up extra early on Saturday morning to cheer for the Republic of Korea in their opening match versus Greece.

A mix of Koreans, Korean-Canadians and Canadians gathered at the Ottawa Korean Community Church on Arlington Avenue in Ottawa shortly after 7 am to show support for the Republic of Korea in their first match of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Fans were delighted and cheered loudly when Ki Sung-Yong scored the opening goal of the match , and were even more thrilled when midfielder Park Ji-sung added a solo goal in the 52nd minute. 

Local media in Ottawa has already noticed the Republic of Korea's strong showing so far at the World Cup South Africa 2010.

The Ottawa Citizen devoted an entire article to the Republic of Korea's win versus the squad from Greece, by indicating that the Republic of Korea "controlled the tempo from its first scoring chance onward."

(from the Ottawa Citizen article, "Strong Showing for South Korea" - Associated Press - Monday, June 14, 2010).

Please see a picture below from the gathering at the Ottawa Korean Community Church.