South Korea advanced to the last 16 of the World Cup with a dramatic win over Portugal. There is a time and a place for it.
South Korea won against Portugal in the most dramatic circumstances to qualify for the knockout stages.
South Korea had four goals scored to Uruguay's two, despite the fact that both teams had four points and zero goal difference.
Kim Young-gwon and Portugal were tied at one point. It set up a frantic second half, with South Korea knowing they needed just one more goal to seal progress, but it looked like they would fall just short before Son Heung-min, who suffered multiple broken bones in his left eye less than a month ago, was forced to wear a Four of South Korea's seven goals at the World Cup were scored in the 90th minute or later.
South Korea became the third country from the Asian confederation to reach the World Cup round of 16 after watching the final minutes of Uruguay's game.
Player ratings, best and worst performers, highlights and notable moments, post match quotes, and key statistics are included in the jump.
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When South Korea needed him the most, Son Heung-min stepped up.
| GP | W | D | L | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - Portugal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +2 | 6 |
| 2 - South Korea | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 - Uruguay | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 - Ghana | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 3 |
| Top two countries qualify for round of 16 |
With the fourth official holding up the board, Son raced the length of the pitch to set up a substitution.
For almost 90 minutes, South Korea were going out, a result that could have cost Portuguese coach Paulo Bento his job, but instead they are going through on goals scored and preparing for just the third World Cup knockout tie in their history.
After ending the group stage of the World Cup on a high, South Korea will believe that anything can happen, especially when they have a player like Son capable of such magic.
In the knockout rounds, Portugal will be unpredictable. There have been some wonderful football moments, including two slick assists by Bruno Fernandes in the first game, but there have also been some terrible defense.
South Korea's first goal came from a set piece which hit the back of Portugal's star player, and it was preventable. They left themselves wide open at the back in the second counter- attack.
Despite their defeat, Portugal still finished top of Group H and will fancy their chances against Switzerland, Serbia or Cameroon in the next round, but there won't be a lot of optimism about a potential quarterfinals match with Spain.
Portugal have the ability to compete with any squad in the world, but the question is whether coach Fernando Santos can gel it into a functional team that can win the biggest games in the knockout rounds of major tournaments. They are capable of making it to the semifinals, but also of crashing out at any time.
Before the start of the game, Portugal knew they were through and so they rested most of their key players, including Ruben Dias, Joao Felix, and Fernandes. The only exception wasRonaldo, who started despite being rated as "50-50" bySantos in the build up to the game.
It was odd to see him out there with what was essentially Portugal's second-string, even though he needed games to find his match after a stop-start season with Manchester United.
His key contribution was an assist for South Korea's goal when a corner hit him on the back and fell to Kim Young-gwon. While his 11 carries were his lowest in a start for Portugal since 2016 he had one clear chance when his shot was parried back into the penalty area by South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.
While he was on the pitch, he got a standing ovation from the fans who came to Education City just to see him, but there wasn't a lot to cheer about.
Subs: Joao Palhinha and William Carvalho
South Korea: Kim Young-gwon 7, Kim Jin-su 7, Kim Moon-hwan 7, Kim Young-gwon 7, Son Heung-min 9, Cho Gue-sung 7, Lee.
Subs: Hee-chan, Ui-jo, Son Jun-ho, Cho Yu-min, and others.
The South Korean star had the calmness and quality to win the game.
He played a part in the goal when he turned his back on a corner.
The lead was taken by Portugal early on, but it wasn't the star player, but the man.
Portugal's last 5 goals have been scored by players other than Ronaldo 🇵🇹
Do they finally have the depth to go all the way? 👀 pic.twitter.com/tJtMFD2ZCs
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