Late goal secures South Korean 'miracle'

1 year ago 114

South Korean striker Cho Gue-Sung said his side's triumph implicit Portugal "really feels similar a miracle".

Both sides entered wounded clip locked up astatine 1-1 earlier Hwang Hee-Chan scored from a superb counterattack disconnected the backmost of a Portuguese corner.

They won the lucifer 2-1, and the South Koreans formed a ellipse successful the centre of the tract to ticker the extremity of the Uruguay and Ghana crippled connected respective mobile phones - their aboriginal successful the tourney hinging connected that result.

They needed Uruguay to not people different extremity against Ghana successful the last six minutes of that clash.

Some South Korean fans prayed. Others were crying, conscionable similar skipper Son Heung-min successful the players' huddle.

At the full-time whistle of that game, they celebrated. South Korea precocious to the circular of 16 connected the tiebreaker of goals scored, pushing Uruguay into 3rd place.

Both teams finished with 4 points and some had a extremity quality of zero, but the Asian squad scored 4 goals compared to Uruguay's two.

"We ne'er gave up," Son said done tears. "Our players were trying to tally an other measurement more, sacrificing themselves, and that allowed america to execute a bully result."

When the Uruguay-Ghana crippled finished 2-0 and South Korea was definite of its second-place finish, the players connected the tract erupted successful joyousness and squirted h2o successful the air.

Then they got successful a enactment and sprinted toward their fans down 1 of the goals astatine Education City Stadium earlier performing a penguin dive successful beforehand of them.

South Korea were heading retired of the tourney erstwhile a Portugal country got cleared and Son led a length-of-the-field breakaway successful the archetypal infinitesimal of added time.

He got crowded retired by Portugal's retreating defenders but had the beingness of caput to gaffe a walk done to Hwang Hee-chan, who converted a debased decorativeness past goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

Hwang, who came connected arsenic a substitute for his archetypal extremity astatine the World Cup, removed his jersey - for which helium was yellowish carded - and flexed his muscles. Some of his teammates fell to the ground. But determination were inactive 5 minutes much of stoppage clip to play.

When the last whistle blew, Son - who was sobbing with joyousness - and different teammates fell dramatically to the turf, banging their fists.

South Korea manager Paulo Bento, who is Portuguese, waited patiently successful the passageway portion the Uruguay-Ghana lucifer played to a finish. He couldn't beryllium with his players due to the fact that helium was serving a suspension for a reddish paper successful South Korea's past game.

Hwang didn't play successful South Korea's archetypal 2 games due to the fact that of wounded but entered arsenic a 66th-minute substitute against Portugal. He said the coaching unit told him: "You're going to make something."

Portugal had already precocious aft 2 games and won the group, assuring Cristiano Ronaldo of astatine slightest 1 much lucifer successful Qatar arsenic helium seeks his archetypal World Cup rubric successful apt his last attempt.

"What we achieved present is special," Son said, "and I americium truthful arrogant of our players.

"Making the past 16 was our goal. We did our champion each game, but you conscionable can't foretell what happens successful football."

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