South Korea shocked Portugal in a 2-1 defeat in the FIFA World Cup 2022, securing a berth in round 16 of the competition.
Portugal came into the match riding high on their confidence, having already won the first two games of their group and are sure of qualification. They were the ones to take the lead as early as the 4th minute, when Pepe’s long ball found Diogo Dalot on the right flank. The Manchester United wing-back accelerated past his man before charging into the box toward the byline. He then squared the ball to Ricardo Horta, arriving at the near post, whose left foot sent the ball past Kim into the back of the net.
South Korea thought they had equalized when in the 16th minute, as Son’s cross was met by Gue-sung inside the box, whose flicked header was saved by Costa. But the rebound fell to Kim-Jin, who tapped the ball in from an offside position.
In the 27th minute, however, South Korea’s corner wasn’t properly dealt with by Portugal as the ball deflected off Cristiano Ronaldo’s back into the path of Young-gwon. The defender stretched a leg to put the ball beyond the reach of Costa into the back of the net.
In the 41st minute, on the cusp of halftime, Cristiano Ronaldo missed a golden chance to put Portugal back into the lead when the rebound from Vitinha’s shot fell into his path. The Portugal skipper uncharacteristically headed the ball wide.
The second half was relatively quiet in terms of clear-cut chances for both sides. However, South Korea had more shots at the goal and their persistence paid off in dramatic fashion in the extra time. The Koreans cleared a corner, setting Son on his bike for the counterattack. The Tottenham Hotspur winger galloped ahead in full flight before holding the ball near the edge of the box and playing a pass in behind through the legs of Dalot for the substitute Hee-Chan. Hee-Chan adjusted his body before firing a first-time shot into the back of the net.
The win didn’t change Portugal’s position as table-toppers of Group H; however, the win ensured that South Korea would be joining them over Uruguay in the Round of 16.
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