South Korea defeated Saudi Arabia 4-2 in a penalty shootout to earn a spot in the Asian Cup quarterfinals. At Education City Stadium, the thrilling round of 16 encounter ended in extra time with a 1-1 result. South Korea’s Cho Gue-sung tied the score in second-half extra time, negating Abdullah Radif’s first goal. South Korea’s progress was greatly aided by Jo Hyeon-woo’s saves against Sami al-Najei and Abdulrahman Ghareeb in the penalty shootout.
Happy that he could get his team to the next round, Jo conveyed confidence in his ability to make saves for the team. In spite of playing for 120 minutes and having a short turnaround, South Korea progressed because they converted every penalty. On Friday, they’ll face the 2015 champions, Australia, in the quarterfinal.
Coach Jürgen Klinsmann of South Korea emphasized the team’s drive for success and stressed the significance of winning their group. The coach acknowledged the cost of not winning the group but also emphasized the extra motivation that came with the victory. The team’s positivity, faith, and vigor will be crucial against Australia in the quarterfinal, according to Klinsmann. The team’s emphasis on winning before penalties was highlighted by the coach as he also offered his thoughts on the surprising shootout.
South Korea in brilliant orange prevailed despite the enthusiastic environment in favor of Saudi Arabia, represented by banners and enthusiastic supporters. The three-time champion Saudi Arabia lost steam as the game was coming to an end. The Gulf country had many good opportunities in the first half, with two headers striking the crossbar and a third that goalie Jo saved. Son Heung-min of South Korea had chances but was unable to take advantage of them. The result prepares them for a tough quarterfinal matchup with Australia, who defeated Indonesia 4-0.
With a 1-0 lead against Saudi Arabia in the AFC Asian Cup, South Korea was on the edge of elimination. But Cho Gue-sung’s late equalizer and their eventual 4-2 victory in a penalty shootout changed the game in their favor. There were few opportunities in the first half, but Roberto Mancini’s Saudi Arabia nearly took the lead when Saleh Al-Shehri and Ali Lajami both headed headers that struck the crossbar. Salem Al-Dawsari’s shot came just short of the mark.
After halftime, Abdullah Radif scored the game’s first goal for the Green Falcons, converting a through pass into his own goal with ease 32 seconds into the second half.
South Korea picked more steam as the match went on and in the latter minutes of play, they had a plethora of opportunities to score on the opponent goal. As the game was coming to an end, Saudi Arabia’s goalkeeper, Ahmed Al-Kassar, had to come into action to block attempts from Hwang In-beom and Seol Young-woo.
It appeared that luck was not on the Taegeuk Warriors’ side despite multiple near misses, as forward Hwang Hee-chan nearly missed the target and Cho struck the crossbar in injury time. But in the ninth minute of extra time, Cho proved to be South Korea’s hero, heading into an empty net as Saudi Arabia’s tenacious defense finally gave way.
A 1-1 tie resulted with neither team being able to score in the extra time. As such, the result of a penalty shootout to decide the winner would decide the fate of the game.
In the shootout, South Korea’s Jo Hyeon-woo goalie proved to be the hero, save Saudi Arabia’s final two penalties. The game-winning kick was made by Wolves’ Hwang, who sent his penalty kick with confidence into the top corner to send South Korea to the quarterfinals.
Former US men’s national team head coach and manager Jürgen Klinsmann acknowledged his appreciation with his team’s tenacity. After the game, he said, “I think we deserved it,” emphasizing the enthusiasm and ingenuity put into the match.
Fans, coaches, and players were fascinated with the encounter, which Klinsmann referred to as “pure drama”. After playing 120 minutes of soccer, South Korea has only two days to recover before facing Australia in the quarterfinals. Australia defeated Indonesia 4-0 in the round of 16 to set up a short turnaround. It is confirmed by Klinsmann that his team is “ready to fight.”
South Korea, led by Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur, is trying to win the Asian Cup, a goal that hasn’t been achieved since 1960. South Korea and Australia are scheduled to play in the much awaited quarterfinal on Friday.
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