The national soccer team on Friday fell victim to failed scoring opportunities and a controversial call in crashing out of the World Cup.

In Hanover, Germany, South Korea lost to Switzerland, 2-0, to finish third in Group G behind France, which took the second spot with a 2-0 win over Togo.

The game will probably be most remembered for a controversial call by Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo. In the 77th minute, the right linesman raised the offside flag on Swiss striker Alexander Frei, who continued play and shot in the second goal.

Though South Korean defenders had stopped because of the flag, Elizondo allowed the goal to stand. Though Frei was in an offside position, the referee apparently ruled that the ball went off of a defender's leg and overruled the call.

South Korean players strongly protested, but to no avail.

In the ninth minute, South Korea screamed for a penalty when the ball hit Swiss defender Patrick Mueller on the arm, but Elizondo called nothing.

The Swiss took the lead in the 23rd minute when Philippe Senderos outjumped defender Choi Jin-cheul and headed a free kick into the net.

South Korea then came alive offensively toward the end of the first half and in the second, but most of its shots on goal were weak or off target. Second-half substitutions of strikers Ahn Jung-hwan and Seol Ki-hyeon also failed to help the drought.

Despite dominating ball possession 66 percent to 34 percent for the Swiss, South Korea came up empty and scoreless.

More than a million fans in South Korea who cheered their team at outside venues went home disappointed over the early World Cup exit.