BELGIUM’S LATE SHOW
Shorthanded team tops South Korea, sweeps group to set date with America
belgium 1 korea 0
SAO PAULO — Reduced to 10 men for more than half the match, Belgium still beat South Korea, 1-0, on Thursday to finish atop of Group H and eliminate the last Asian team from the World Cup.
With a late goal yet again, Belgium made the difference in the 78th minute when defender Jan Vertonghen followed up a shot from teenage striker Divock Origi and tapped in the rebound past goalkeeper K im Seung-gyu.
“We knew all games were going to be tough,” said Belgium coach Marc Wilmots. “But even with 10 men, we still pushed for ward. These guys are rea lly hungry.”
After three narrow victories and precious little beautiful play, Belgium will now play the United States in Salvador on Tuesday.
“Mission accomplished,” said Wimots.
And along with Iran, Japan and Australia, South Korea departed as the last team from the Asian federation, all in the first round.
Algeria finished second i n the group after a 1-1 draw with Russia — a result that meant South Korea needed a four-goal win to advance. It never came close. South Korea did not go without a strong fight, landing the ball on Belgium’s crossbar on the hour-mark and testing standout goalie Thibaut Courtois with several shots a f ter wa rd. Yet even with a man up, the Koreans could never pressure Belgium enough to find an opening and paid the price.
For scorer Vertonghen it was a bit of redemption after he caused the penalty against Algeria in the opener, which forced Belgium into late histrionics to come back and claw out a 2-1 victory.
Belgium promised to play with flair in this tournament but is proving that it’s still a master at grinding out results.
“It gives us so much confidence to get those nine points with only 10 men and prepare for the Americans in that mood,” Vertonghen said.
ALGERIA 1, RUSSIA 1
CURITIBA, Brazil — Algeria qualified for the World Cup knockout stages for the first time, with Islam Slimani’s headed equalizer giving his team a draw against Russia and enough competition points to reach the second round.
Algeria placed second in Group H behind Belgium with four points, meaning it will meet Germany in the Round of 16 on Monday.