Here's a close finish for you.
No photo finish or touchpads involved.
Just a handball game
with 14 players, two coaches and one clock.
Don't forget the clock - a key character in our story.
And the judges too. That's them in the cute blue jackets.
They're very important but we'll get to them later.
It was the semifinal game
of the women's handball competition
at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
The winners were in with a shot at the gold medal,
the losers, playoff for a bronze medal.
Handball fans knew that this was THE game.
The champions of Asia, South Korea,
against the champions of Europe, Norway.
In Korea, they take women's handball very seriously.
They dominate the Asian Championship.
Norway and their coach, Marit Breivik,
dominated the European Championship.
The best two teams in the world going head-to-head.
In fact, we're going to give away the ending right now -
the winners of this match
would go on to win Olympic gold by a crushing margin.
So who would it be - Norway or Korea?
Going into the second period, the answer had to be Norway.
Korea's first-half lead of one point evaporated
as the Europeans hit their stride,
Ragnhild Aamodt finding this clever finish
to put her side 21-18 ahead.
This excellent team move showed the Norwegians
at their absolute best,
dragging the Korean defence this way and that before
Kari Mette Johansen found the net.
The Koreans were now looking at a four-point deficit.
And so it continued.
The odd strike by Korea, top scorer
Moon Pil-hee keeping her team in the game,
quickly cancelled out by a Norwegian attack,
team captain Gro Hammerseng scoring.
If the Norwegians could just hold on
through the dying minutes, they would be through.
But the Koreans refuse to give in.
They lay down for nobody.
And a goal by An Jung-hwa lifted them.
Then another excellent strike by Huh Soon-young
put them within a single goal.
28-27.
The Norwegians were rattled,
veteran coach Marit Breivik calling a time-out.
Stop the game, regroup
and find a way to close out those final few seconds.
Could the Koreans force extra time?
25 seconds to save the game.
Keep your eye on the clock.
There's one on the screen, Jan. Right there.
Top left.
Aamodt misses.
Just seven seconds left.
Moon ties the match.
And then...
..the scoreboard, like the fans and players, was stunned,
eventually spluttering out the final score.
Hammerseng's last-second goal had made it 29-28 to Norway.
There was disbelief on the court, jubilation...
and bewilderment.
Was the goal legal?
Korean coach Lim Young-chul beseeched the judges.
Surely the clock had called time.
Surely the goal could not stand.
Chaos ensued
until, finally, a decision.
Norway would go on to the final.
Korea's brilliant fightback
now just a detail of Olympic history.
Norway went on to thrash Russia in the final
to lift the Olympic gold medal.
Korea won bronze, brushing aside Hungary, wondering,
no doubt, what a difference a second makes.
Norway were the team celebrating
at the end of the tournament.
But what a match.
The final verdict was that the ball had left Hammerseng's hand
before the clock called time,
a fact seemingly verified by the TV clock, top left,
but still bitterly disputed by the Koreans who
took their grievance
to the International Handball Federation...
without success.
Meanwhile, Norwegian coach Marit Breivik
was given her country's highest honour -
joining the illustrious list of great Norwegians to be made
a Knight of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav.