The Taeguk Warriors defied the odds in spectacular fashion to advance to the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup on Friday night when they beat group favorites Portugal 2-1 with a 90th-minute goal, hence edging out Uruguay to take second place and a well-deserved spot in the knockout stage.
Kim Young-gwon and Hwang Hee-chan, the fitting heroes for the Korea team, slotted in a goal each for the win. Kim, particularly, played an especially important role in defense as well, as he successfully held off the Portuguese frontal assault despite the absence of center back Kim Min-jae.
Everything seemed to be going Korea’s way as the Taeguk Warriors not only edged out Portugal 2-1, but Uruguay also beat Ghana 2-0, tying with Korea on four points but falling to third on goals scored.
Korean gaffer Paulo Bento, a spectator in the stands after receiving a red card at the end of the Ghana game on Monday, had gone all out against Portugal, launching a far more aggressive attack with both Lee Kang-in and Cho Gue-sung.
Korea were unlucky to concede in the fifth minute but the Taeguk Warriors didn’t stay on the back foot for long, rallying quickly to get back into the game.
An alert Kim Young-gwon seized the opportunity to provide the equalizer in the 27th minute, adroitly picking up a corner from Lee Kang-in that bounced off Cristiano Ronaldo’s back and slotting it into the back of the net.
The Koreans were forced to drop deeper come the start of the second half but pressed hard to push for fast attacks down the wings and Bento’s beloved set pieces, with skipper Son Heung-min providing some rapid counter-attacks that created good opportunities, although none were capitalized on.
The pace of the game markedly changed as Portugal looked to rest some important starters ahead of the knockout stage.
Korea turned the heat up again for the final 20 minutes of the game after Ronaldo, Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes were all substituted off in the 65th minute as Portugal were hoping to rest some of their key players ahead of the knockout stage. This was also when Hwang was brought in, making his first appearance in the tournament.
Constant pressure was applied on Diogo Costa while at the other end of the pitch the defense repeatedly worked the offside trap to hold off any Portuguese attacks. However despite the obvious momentum being in Korea’s favor, the Taeguk Warriors were unable to capitalize on multiple corners and free kicks.
Their chance finally availed itself the 90th minute when Son broke away from a Portugal corner, sprinting the length of the pitch to play the ball through Diogo Dalot’s legs to Hwang, who fired it into the bottom left corner from around the penalty spot to give Korea a 2-1 lead.
Against all odds and in the face of one fo the tournament’s favorites, Korea showed their mettle to earn their ticket to the round of 16.
What Korea face next is one of the biggest challenges any World Cup has to offer — Brazil in the knockout stage on Monday.