World Cup 2022: At the end of the suspension, South Korea qualified thanks to victory over Portugal

For Heung-Min Son, tears of sadness turned to tears of joy. Despite the victory over Germany, South Korea was eliminated from the group stage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. This time the Taeguk warriors can rejoice. Their narrow win over Portugal (2-1), along with Uruguay’s “narrow” win over Ghana (2-0), see them through to the last 16 of the World Cup in Qatar – just like their opponents on the day. Before the match, whoever finished first in their group was already qualified.

Gathered in the center circle, cell phones in hand, the South Koreans had to wait to celebrate their victory over Portugal. He-Chan Hwang’s goal minutes earlier in stoppage time gave them a glimmer of qualification, but it also hinged on the outcome of Uruguay’s meeting with Ghana. With La Celeste 2-0 ahead of the Black Stars, the Asian Tigers had to hope that the score remained and Uruguay did not score again, or they would have passed them thanks to a better goal difference.

Heung-min Son was celebrated as a hero

During the eight minutes of extra time granted in this match, the South Koreans and their fans held their breath at the Education City Stadium, especially as chances multiplied for Al-Wakrah. But at the final whistle of Uruguay and Ghana, Taeguk warriors were able to shout their joy: for the third time in their history – after 2002 and 2010 – they reached the last 16 of the World Cup. . Miles away, the Uruguayans looked frustrated, having been eliminated by scoring two goals less than their rivals when they played in the knockout stages of the last three World Cups.

The victory has more flavor for the South Koreans as they earned it in pain late in the match when the Portuguese dominated the second half. From the fifth minute, after Ricardo Horta’s goal for the Seleção, they never gave up. They equalized thanks to Young-Gon Kim (27^e), the next two picks forced the lead, often lacking precision in completions.

Heung-min Son, who has made many bad choices before, turned into a hero: starting on the counter after the last Portuguese corner, he went up more than half the pitch at his feet before serving to He. -Chan Hwang with a pass. “We didn’t deserve to lose four days ago [contre le Ghana]. Against Portugal, when there is a chance, you have to be clinical, we did that. That’s why everyone loves football… Small teams can win a match at any time, today is a good example.”– responded a decisive passer-by.

“Optimistic football” was awarded

Whether on the bench or in the stands – from where South Korea’s Portuguese coach Paulo Bento suspended the match – the emotion was palpable.. “That’s great! It’s a sense of accomplishment, His deputy, Sergio Costa, responded to the microphone of beINSports after the match. I think we deserved it. From the first match of this World Cup, we presented optimistic football with action. And when I say we, it’s us: Koreans, the people of Korea. »

The Portuguese and South Koreans will meet their opponents in the round of 16 after the evening’s final matches in Group G between Cameroon and Brazil and Serbia and Switzerland. But South Korea’s ambitions will not stop at this stage of the competition. “Portugal has great potential, a very organized team, with individual quality… We have soul, heart, quality. We’ll see how far we go, but you can count on us.” assured Sergio Costa.