It's fair to say that Uzbekistan captain Server Djeparov has mixed feelings about South Korean football.
The two-time Asian Player of the Year has spent three mostly happy seasons in the K-League, but the White Wolves failed to go to the World Cup twice because of the Taeguk Warriors.
The first was back in 2006, but the worst was 2014. With two games of the final round of qualification remaining, Uzbekistan went to Seoul in June 2013 needing just a draw to qualify for Brazil and a first-ever World Cup. Uzbekistan's 1-0 defeat was disappointing and the hesitant performance was worse. In the end, Korea squeezed through thanks to a goal-difference advantage of just one.
"It was very sad and it hurt to the depths of soul," Djeparov told ESPNFC.
"Even now while answering the question, I still can't believe that we couldn't qualify for the World Cup with the result and chance we had. Everything was in our hands. We can blame only ourselves for it."
After events in Brazil when South Korea took just one point from three games with performances that were at least as bad as the results suggest, some fans back in East Asia apologised online to their Central Asian counterparts for wasting the opportunity that Uzbekistan dreamed of.
"If we could have qualified, I think we would not have been any worse than the other Asian teams that made it to the World Cup. What happened is history, however, and it will be a good lesson for the whole of Uzbek football."
Now is the time to put the lessons to the test. On Thursday, Uzbekistan face South Korea in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Asian Cup. For Djeparov, a veteran of the 2006 and 2014 near misses, it is time to beat one of the continental giants in a big knockout game.
In the past when the pressure has been on, the team has tended to fail. This has led to concerns over the mentality of a national team that came into being upon the break-up of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
Djeparov agrees that there was a mental barrier to success but claims that this is no longer the case.
He said: "It's different now, we have players with experience internationally and we have grown together. We also have the right balance now of youth and experience."
The 32-year-old speaks fondly of his time in Korea, especially with FC Seoul -- a team he helped to the 2010 K-League title. Djeparov loved the creative role he had under coach Nelo Vingada. The Portuguese tactician left after falling out with the club over the way he worked, and the player followed soon after.
An 18 month spell in Saudi Arabia did not go well and in January 2013, Djeparov was back in South Korea with Seongnam. It was not quite as enjoyable. In 2014, new coach Park Jong-hwan publicly criticised the star and there were reports that the then 75-year-old slapped his players in training. "I don't even know what he criticised me for," said Djeparov. "I was very nervous about it. I can say that as a coach he still uses the old methods and preparations, whereas, football and time move on."
And so have Uzbekistan. "We have some very good young players now and there is a lot of hope for the future," he added and he's right.
Strikers Igor Sergeev and Sardor Rashidov got the goals to put the team in the last eight. The former, 21, headed a fine winner against North Korea in the first game and after the disappointing defeat against China, Rashidov bagged a brace to help the team to a 3-1 win over Saudi Arabia in a game that Uzbekistan had to win.
This team has a steely edge to it. Coach Mirjalol Kasimov has been around Asian football for years as a player and coach and is in his second spell as national team boss. He has spoken of his confidence that the team will triumph over South Korea. This is not the kind of confident message that has always come out of Uzbek camps before such games in the past. The failures and near misses are not weighing on minds any more. The history is there, but it is no longer a burden.
South Korea know this too. At one time, a win against Uzbekistan would be expected but they realise they need to fight harder for this one now. The Taeguk Warriors may have pulled off the best result of the tournament so far in beating the in-form host Australia in front of 50,000 fans but they know how close Uzbekistan came in qualification for the 2014 World Cup.
There are injuries too. Winger Lee Chung-yong and midfielder Koo Ja-Cheol are out, though defensive midfielder Park Joo-ho is fit.
Perhaps the best sign for South Korea is that Djeparov, Uzbekistan's talisman for so long, is not quite as influential as he once was. He's still important, though, and there will be no better stage than Melbourne on Thursday and no better opposition than South Korea to prove himself.