South Korea's midfielder Son Hueng-min celebrates with German coach Jurgen Klinsman after Qatar 2023 AFC Asian Cup quarterfinal match between Australia and South Korea at Al-Janoub Stadium in al-Wakrah, south of Doha. (Karim Jaafar/AFP)
Doha, Qatar: Captain Son Heung-min fired an extra-time winner as South Korea fought back to seal a 2-1 victory over Australia and enter the Asian Cup semi-finals yesterday.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker netted the precious goal in 104th minute, bending a free kick from near the edge of the box to thrill the avid Korean fans at Al Janoub Stadium.
It was the second consecutive time in 72 hours the Jurgen Klinsmann’s side snatched win from the jaws of defeat after beating Saudi Arabia on penalties, making a comeback in stoppage time of the last 16 thriller.
South Korea’s Son Heung-min celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal against Australia. AFP
Hwang Hee-Chan brought South Korea back into the match after scoring from the spot in 96th minute, a penalty earned by Son. Before, it was Graham Arnold’s Australia, who looked to be entering the semis with Craig Goodwin’s goal in 42nd minute and a superb show of defending that followed their opener.
“We’re still here and we’re going to be here to the very end. Obviously it was another drama and I’m proud of this team,” a delighted Klinsmann said after the win.
The Koreans will now meet Jordan at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on Tuesday for a spot in the final as they look to win their first title in 64 years.
Australia’s Harry Souttar consoles teammate Lewis Miller after their defeat. Pic: Rajan Vadakkemuriyil / The Peninsula
The Taeguk Warriors were not convincing in the start as barring rare moments they showed little signs of their brilliance in the first half in which they had 70 percent of possession. They struggled to cut through a rigid Australian defence and were unable to make a serious threat in the final third.
In contrast, Australia engineered good scoring opportunities with ambitious strikes from Connor Metcalfe missing the target. The midfielder should have fired the Socceroos ahead in 19th minute after the ball bounced back to him following goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo’s save from Goodwin’s hit, but he was of target again.
The Taeguk Warriors fans briefly celebrated after Hwang hit at the back of the net after the half-hour mark but the goal was disallowed as Seol Young-Woo was caught offside in the process.
Australia’s goalkeeper Mathew Ryan concedes his team’s second goal, scored by South Korea captain Son Heung-min. AFP
Following further attempts from Martin Boyle and Connor Metcalfe, Goodwin volleyed home the opener off a lofty pass by Nathaniel Atkinson in a move before half-time, prompted by a misplaced pass from Korean midfielder Hwang In-Beom.
Unlike the last 16 clash against Saudis when they made a late push for the equaliser, the Koreans started putting pressure on Australia right from the start of second half.
They had a bright start to the absorbing session and Lee Kang-In had his strike blocked by goalkeeper Mathew Ryan just four minutes after the break. South Korea looked dangerous but solid defending by Arnold’s side kept them without a goal.
Ryan was once again right behind the Hwang’s right-footed shot from the left side in 60th minute before Mitch Duke made a couple of unsuccessful efforts to double Australia’s lead.
With the Socceroos just a few minutes away from a win, Son was recklessly tackled by Lewis Miller inside the box giving Klinsmann’s side a golden chance to make a comeback, and Hwang made no mistake with a clinical hit from the spot as the contest entered the extra-time.
South Korea players celebrate during the quarter-final against Australia.
Australia could not recover after conceding a late goal and while they appeared to be out of steam in extra time, Son ended their run at the Asian Cup with an excellent shot.
The 2015 champions suffered further setback as they were reduced to ten men when substitute Aiden O’Neill was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Hwang late in the first period of extra-time.
Son had several other opportunities to score more goals in second half of extra time but he was off target in his attempts.
Australia coach Arnold said the result would have been different had his side availed the chances.
“We’re devastated at the moment, quite emotional for all the players and the staff. For the first 90-odd minutes we did very well until giving that penalty away. It’s been a great tournament for a lot of my players,” he said.
“We were up 1-0, we had chances for 2-0, 3-0, and if you don’t take your chances, you get punished.”
