Asian Cup Quarterfinals:South Korea was on the edge of elimination from the AFC Asian Cup after falling behind 1-0 against Saudi Arabia, but they recovered with a late equaliser from Cho Gue-sung and a decisive 4-2 penalty shootout victory.
For much of the first half, chances were few and far between, but Saudi Arabia, coached by former Manchester City and Italy manager Roberto Mancini, came within inches of taking the lead three times in a row: Saleh Al-Shehri and Ali Lajami rattled the crossbar with back-to-back headers, before Salem Al-Dawsari’s effort went just wide.
However, the Green Falcons eventually pulled ahead. Abdullah Radif, a half-time substitute, scored after only two touches of the ball, sprinting onto a through pass and tapping home 32 seconds into the second half. South Korea gradually gained control of the game and began to pour down opportunities on the opposing goal late in the game. As the game approached its conclusion, Saudi Arabia’s goalkeeper Ahmed Al-Kassar was called upon to deny Hwang In-beom and Seol Young-woo.
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It appeared that the Taegeuk Warriors would not have a good day, with Cho hitting the crossbar in injury time and striker Hwang Hee-chan blasting just wide. Cho, on the other hand, was to be South Korea’s saviour, shooting into an empty net in the ninth minute of extra time when Saudi Arabia’s tenacious defence finally cracked.
Extra time passed with neither team scoring, so with the game at 1-1, penalties were called to separate the two teams. South Korean goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo saved Saudi Arabia’s final two spot shots before Wolves’ Hwang converted the deciding penalty into the top corner, securing South Korea’s place in the quarterfinals. Manager Jürgen Klinsmann, a former head coach of the United States men’s national team, was delighted with his team’s effort.
“I think we deserved it,” he stated after the game. “We put a lot of effort and imagination into the game; we deserved to advance.
“Today was all drama! Drama for the spectators, drama for the coaches, and drama for the athletes.”
South Korea has only two days of respite after playing 120 minutes of football before facing Australia, which thrashed Indonesia 4-0 in the round of 16, on Friday, but Klinsmann claims his team is “ready to fight.” South Korea, led by Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min, aims to win the Asian Cup for the first time since 1960.
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