FIFA World Cup 2022: Son heroics help South Korea beat Portugal, clinch Round of 16 berth

FIFA World Cup 2022: South Korea came up with a heroic effort to beat Portugal 2-1 and clinch their berth in the Round of 16. There was heartbreak for Uruguay who headed home despite beating Ghana 2-0 on the final match day in Group H.

Hwang Hee-chan celebrates scoring their second goal with Son Heung-min (Reuters Photo)

By India Today Web Desk: It was another sensational final match day in the group stage of FIFA World Cup 2022. After Japan ousted Germany with their win over Spain, South Korea repeated the heroics of their Asian counterparts, pulling off a stunning 2-1 win over Portugal at the Education City Stadium on Friday, December 2.

South Korea’s win took them to 4 points as they finished second at the expense of Uruguay, who had to head home despite beating Ghana 2-0 in their final group-stage game on Friday. Both South Korea and Uruguay finished on 4 points each but the Asian side went ahead on the basis of more goals scored.

Portugal topped the group with 6 points despite the defeat and South Korea joined them to the Round of 16.

There was heartbreak for South Korea in Russia 4 years ago as they were not able to go through despite knocking Germany out of the competition. However, Son and his men were jubilant even though they faced a nervous 8-minute wait to know the result of the Uruguay game which finished later.

SON’S STUNNING BREAK

Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min emerged the hero as the masked forward led a stunning counter-attack in the stoppage time. Son held on to the ball just outside the box even as he faced pressure from the Portugal backline and released Hwang Hee-chan, who timed his run into the box perfectly.

It was a terrific pass from Son, who came up with a 70-yard run and found the gap between the legs of the Portugal defenders for the stunning assist to Hee-chan.

Hee-chan was on-side as he slotted one in past Diego Costa. It was an ice-cool finish as South Korea made the most of the break in the stoppage time after 6 minutes were added to the clock at the end of 90 minutes. The goal came against the run of play as the Son Heung-min’s side did not look threatening at all after Fernando Santos ringed in the changes in the second half.

William Carvalho’s inclusion provided solidity to Portugal’s formation as the defensive midfielder did a fine job. South Korea, who began the second half on a high, found the final flourish from their celebrated hero, Son, who braved facial fractures to lead his team in Qatar.

However, South Korea did not give up and their never-say-die attitude was rewarded with a place in the Round of 16.

Earlier in the day, Ricardo Horta opened the scoring for Portugal as early as the 5th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo could have doubled the lead on more than one occasion but the former Manchester United was far from decisive it the attacking third against South Korea.

However, South Korea equalized through Kim Younggwon’s strike in the 27th minute. The Asian side searched for the second goal with Son orchestrating multiple forays forward but the Spurs star was not decisive in the box until the stoppage time.

Ronaldo was substituted at the hour mark and the Portugal captain was not happy with the call from the coach. However, Ronaldo was able to only watch his side go down in the final minutes of the fiercely-fought contest.