Another step closer
Heung-min’s South Korea in final after Vietnam victory
SOUTH Korea beat Vietnam 3-1 in theh Asian Games semi-finals thanks to L ee Seung-woo’s double and if they retain n the title it would have significant ram mifications for striker Son Heung-min’s s professional career.
Heung-min, 26, who plays fo or Premier League club Totttenham Hotspur, provided the assist for the second goal before being substituted in the 72nd minute. He would be exempted from mandatory military service if South Korea win the competition.
All able-bodied South Korean men must complete 21 months service in the military as a deterrent against the North, but exemptions are offered to athletes who win gold at the Asian Games or a medal of any colour at the Olympics.
“We deserved to win, we had lots of chances to score,” 26-year-old Heung-min said after the victory. “I think we are better players so we dominated the game.”
The champions grabbed an early lead when Seung-woo scored the first of his two goals with a left-foot shot after Hwang Ui-jo tumbled trying to meet the through pass. Ui-jo made amends just before the halfhoour when Heung-min fed him a through pa ass which he chipped over goalkeeper B Bui Tien Dung.
Vietnam’s occasional attacks mostly falter red before reaching the opposition box and d South Korea keeper Jo Hyeon-woo was barely tested by a couple of tame long-range strikes.
Seung-woo scored again 10 minutes into the second half when he latched onto a pass from Hwang Hee-chan.
Vietnam finally got on the scoresheet when Tran Minh Vuong buried a curling free-kick into the net in the 70th minute.
The defeat broke the hearts of hundreds of Vietnamese who thronged the Pakansari Stadium blowing vuvuzela, playing cymbals and waving flags.
“We love the Vietnamese Under-23 team, especially the Korean coach (Park Hang-seo),” said Ngo Thanh Tung, a fan from Halong Bay. “That’s why even though we had to cross such a distance, tired and had to pay a lot of money, we are here today,” added the 40-yearold. — Reuters