South Korea players celebrate after the match as South Korea qualify for the knockout stages during the Qatar World Cup final Group H match between Korea and Portugal at the Education City Stadium on December 2, 2022. (REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay)
Doha: Hwang Hee-chan fired a stoppage time winner as South Korea defeated Portugal 2-1 and then rode on luck to book their berth in the knockout round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
At the Education City Stadium yesterday, Portugal were given an early lead by Ricardo Horta before Kim Young-gwon drew level for the Koreans in the 27th minute.
South Koreans were not only hunting for a seemingly unlikely win over the Cristiano Ronaldo-led World No.9 side, but also had to rely on the result of the other Group H match between Uruguay and Ghana.
South Korea players celebrate after the match as South Korea qualify for the knockout stages. (REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay)
The last-gasp win sent South Korea to the second spot in the standings behind Portugal, with four points - same as Uruguay - but they had the advantage of having scored more goals during the group stage after the South American side failed to win with a 3-0 margin at Al Janoub Stadium.
South Korea talisman Son Heung-min was elated following the victory and securing a place in the World Cup knockout stage for the third time, first time since 2002 when they finished fourth as co-hosts.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time... and I believed we could get it done,” Son said without trying to hold back tears.
“I have not been doing a good job as their captain, but my teammates have covered my back. I am so thankful for them and so proud of them,” Son, who played a key role in yesterday’s win, said.
South Korea's Son Heung-min celebrates with the fans after the match as South Korea qualify for the knockout stages. (REUTERS/Matthew Childs)
With the match heading towards a one-all stalemate, South Korea pushed hard until the very end, and their efforts were rewarded when the Tottenham Hotspur striker picked up from a Portugal corner and slipped a pass to Hee-chan who fired past Diogo Costa to send the whole stadium into raptures.
“As a Korean I am extremely proud and want to thank all the Korean fans in Korea,” said the 26-year-old Hwang.
“This is a present for them. More than anything I want to say I am very, very proud,” Hwang, who played his first Qatar 2022 game after missing the first two group matches due to an injury, said.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos said his team lost focus against the Asian side.
“We lost our organisation and Korea controlled the game, we lost focus,” Santos said.
“Our players were motivated but we were opened up on the counter-attack, that can happen.
“We are somewhat upset. We are first (in the group) but wanted to win to increase the morale of the players. This served as a warning to our team,” Santos said.
His key man Ronaldo was kept silent by South Korea defenders for most part of the game, but the former Manchester United star unintentionally played a role in the second goal of the match. The ball struck Ronaldo on the back off a corner kick and fell in front of Kim Young-gwon who made no mistake in directing the same into the net.
After clinching one of their most memorable wins, the South Korean players waited on the pitch, watching Uruguay’s match against Ghana on mobile phones. They were rewarded with joy minutes later when Uruguay failed to outnumber south Korea on goals scored, despite winning 2-0.
South Korea will now meet Brazil, who topped Group G despite losing to Cameroon, their first defeat against an African side in the FIFA World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal still topped Group H and will meet Switzerland for a place in the quarter-finals.
