Smart Korea move
Emotions run high as Hwang and Son combine to seal last-16 spot
Son Heung-min collected a clearance, deep inside his own half and turned towards the Portugal goal, just as the stadium announcer declared six minutes of stoppage time.
Before him, a vast expanse of green turf. Son looked exhausted but he put his head down and summoned one last effort, carrying the ball forwards at pace, luring three defenders towards him.
As they converged, he fed a pass through the Diogo Dalot’s legs to sub Hwang Hee-chan, who beat Portugal keeper Diogo Costa.
South Korea were ahead for the first time in the game and on course for the last 16. Across Doha, Uruguay were beating Ghana 2-0.
The Group H table flashed up to a huge roar of approval. Portugal were top, sure of progress before this game, South Korea were second, on four points with Uruguay but ahead by virtue of four goals scored to Uruguay’s two.
Son tore off his protective mask, threw it high in the sky and collapsed in tears at the final whistle. But Uruguay and Ghana were still playing at the Al Janoub Stadium. South Korea’s players linked arms and huddled in the centre of the pitch to see phones streaming the action from the other game.
Another goal for the South Americans and they would advance instead. Excruciatingly, the seconds ticked by but the goal never came. Son led a second wave of celebrations, erupting into tears again as he danced in front of the strong section of Korean support.
‘These tears are tears of happiness,’ said Son, unlike four years ago when his team went out in the group stage, despite winning their final group game and knocking out defending champions Germany in their final game in Russia. ‘We waited really long for this moment and we as players believed altogether we could do this. There were moments when I wasn’t able to do my best and I am thankful for my team-mates that they were able to cover me in the moments I wasn’t able to fulfil my duties and I’m very proud of them.’
It is only a month since Son broke a cheekbone near his eye socket playing for Spurs against Marseille. There is a scar of about a centimetre by his left eye from surgery and he did not look at his sharpest but he refused to give in.
‘When Son got the ball, I was convinced he would pass to me,’ said goal hero Hwang. ‘It was an excellent pass. It made my job easy. It was difficult waiting for the other result but we proved we could make it to the knockout phase and we kept that trust.’
It was emotional. A tough task for South Korea became tougher still when they went behind inside five minutes against a Portugal team resting some big names but
led by Cristiano Ronaldo. Pepe passed long to Dalot, who took the ball in his stride with a fine first touch and cut back to Ricardo Horta, darting in at the near post to convert his low cross.
This opening sequence made for uncomfortable viewing for Paulo Bento, the former Portugal international now in charge of South Korea and sent off by referee Anthony Taylor at the end of the previous game against Ghana.
Bento, banned from the touchline, took his seat in the stands and soon became tangled in a dispute with a couple of Portugal supporters who were telling him to sit down so they could see.
South Korea had a goal ruled out for offside before levelling from a corner, delivered by Lee Kang-in and unwittingly assisted by Ronaldo, who was unsighted by team’s exit on Portugal’s dubious penalty against his own team.
Suarez felt it most. He was not quite the ageing old beast many had expected and his heart clearly still beat for this last adventure on the great stage.
He was the same attack dog Ghana had always remembered — remonstrating, face to face, with the referee after the penalty was given. He bought cheap tackles. He expressed his views emphatically when booked for dissent on the hour. Within minutes of players leaping across him as the ball struck his back and dropped for Kim Young-gwon to score.
Ronaldo became locked into an argument as he was replaced and refused to hasten his departure, returning to the bench in a strop.
‘One of their players was telling me to leave quickly. I told him to shut up, he has no authority, he doesn’t have to say anything. I would speed up the pace if the referee said so,’ Ronaldo said.
Portugal boss Fernando Santos. said: ‘The player from Korea was Ghana’s penalty miss, Suarez was contributing to the first of the goals which made this a comfortable win for Uruguay.
Ghana’s defensive calamities helped him get off a shot which was spilled out to Giorgian de Arrascaeta, who dropped down to head the ball in.
Uruguay’s second befitted a World Cup, Arrascaeta despatching a volley of great technical difficulty after Suarez had lifted the ball over the defence. It took resilience to keep Uruguay out. insulting him, telling him to go away, that is the reason he was angry. Everyone saw that.’
Just as the game seemed to be fading into a draw, South Korea cleared a corner and Son and Hwang did the rest.
SOUTH KOREA (4-3-3): Kim Seung-gyu 6.5; Kim Moon-hwan 6, Kwon 6, Kim Young-gwon 7 (Son Jun-hu, 81min), Kim Jin-su 6.5; Hwang Im-beom 7.5, Jung 7, Lee Kang-in 6 (Hwang Ui-jo, 81); Lee Jae-sung 6 (Hwang Hee-chan 66, 7.5), Cho Gue-sung 6.5 (Cho Yu-min 90+3), SON HEUNG-MIN 8. Scorers: Kim Younggwon 27, Hwang Hee-chan 90+1.
Booked: Lee Kang-in, Hwang Hee-chan. Manager: Paulo Bento 7.
PORTUGAL (4-3-3): Costa 6.5; Dalot 6, Pepe 6, Antonio Silva 6.5, Cancelo 6; Nunes 5 (Paulinha 65, 6), Neves 7 (Leao 65), Vitinha 7 (Bernardo Silva 82); Horta 6.5, Ronaldo 6 (Andre Silva 65, 5), Mario 5 (Carvalho 82). Scorer: Horta 5. Booked: None.
Manager: Fernando Santos 5.
Referee: Facundo Tello (Arg) 6 Att: 44,097.
Mohammed Salisu raced back to hook a ball from the goal-line after Darwin Nunez chipped the ball over Lawrence Ati-Zigi.
In the finale, Valverde’s effort was palmed away by Ati-Zigi, who also made a stunning stop to keep out Cavani’s header.
When it was over, Suarez covered his head with his jersey and his body heaved with his sobbing. He walked past the media later, nursing a deep sense of victimhood.
‘I see a penalty for Edi (Cavani) because (Alidu Seidu) cuts off his path,’ he said, also complaining bitterly about one of his children not being allowed on the Uruguay bench at the end.
‘My son leaves with the image of the sadness,’ he said, his face red with emotion. Millions of Ghanaians know precisely how he feels.
GHANA (4-2-3-1): Ati-Zigi 6; Seidu 5, Amartey 6, Salisu 7, Rahman 6; Partey 6.5, Abdul Samed 6 (Kyereh 72min, 6); Williams 6 (Semenyo 72, 6), A Ayew 5 (Bukari 46, 6.5), J Ayew 5 (Sulemana 46, 6.5); KUDUS 8.5 (Issahaku 90). Booked: Sulemana, Seidu. Manager: Otto Addo 8.
URUGUAY (4-4-2): Rochet 7.5; Varela 6, Gimenez 6.5, Coates 7, Olivera 6; Pellistri 7 (De la Cruz 66, 6), Valverde 3, Bentancur 5 (Vecino 34, 6), De Arrascaeta 8 (Canobbio 80); Suarez 5 (Cavani 66, 6.5), Nunez 5 (Gomez 80).
Scorer: De Arrascaeta 26, 32. Booked: Nunez, Suarez, Coates, Gimenez, Cavani. Manager: Diego Alonso 4.
Referee: Daniel Siebert 8.
Attendance: 43,443.