A dramatic goal against Portugal in stoppage time put South Korea in the round of 16 – and the next surprise for the World Cup in Qatar. In focus, again: top player Heung-min Son.
And then: A quick pass to happiness. South Korea’s side spent 91 minutes trying to find a balance between offense and defense against the favored Portuguese so as not to be lured out too much. At 1-1 after goals from Ricardo Horta (5th minute) and Young-Gwon Kim (27th), only one goal was missing to progress. But at the same time, a goal was enough to destroy any dreams of the round of 16. Accordingly, the South Koreans defended a Portuguese corner early in injury time.
The ball was cleared from the penalty area and made it to Heung-min Son. Son has a long history with the homeland, he is the nation’s greatest sportsman as a Premier League player, has won top honors and was named after winning the Asian Games In 2018 he was even exempted from the strictly obligatory two-year military service. Which didn’t hurt either: his goal in the win against Germany at the World Cup in the same year.
No mass swallow action – but South Korea’s players who cheer the entry into the round of 16 of the World Cup.
(Photo: Kirill Kudrayavtsev/AFP)
Now Son sprinted across the field, eight Portuguese were around him, but that’s one of his skills: One alone can’t dribble everyone, but Son has proven often enough that he can (in 2020 he received the Puskás Award for a similar one Goal). In front of the penalty area, he slowed his steps, several Portuguese rushed at him, now really no individualist in the world would have gotten through – which is why Son played a surprising pass to Hee-Chan Hwang, who was not offside by a few centimetres. A dry, hard shot into the far corner later, cheers echoed through the Education City Stadium: The goal gave South Korea a 2-1 lead, and the Asians somehow survived the remaining minutes of added time. Then they had to wait.
While Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese had long since disappeared into the dressing room, the South Koreans remained in the center circle, staring at a screen. They had played their part in yet another surprise at this World Cup. And then Uruguay fell too, in the parallel game against Ghana despite a win. They were missing the one goal that South Korea had just scored. The cluster in the center circle erupted in cheers. On Monday we continue in the round of 16, probably against Brazil.