Son Heung-min scored a stunning free-kick to complete South Korea’s late comeback.
South Korea defeated Australia 2-1 in the Asian Cup quarter-finals. Another dramatic victory sent Jurgen Klinsmann’s side to the tournament’s next round.
What happened?
South Korea found a bright start to the game as they dominated the possession early on, but their opponents gradually found their feet in the game. Following a few missed chances, Australia finally broke the deadlock through Craig Goodwin in the 42nd minute.
The Socceroos spent most of the second half defending their lead as South Korea interfiled their attacks to get the equalizer. Similar to their match against Saudi Arabia, the South Koreans had to wait until just before the final whistle to make it 1-1.
Unlike that game, however, there was no need for penalty shootouts as South Korea completed their comeback in the extra times. In the 104th minute, Son Heung-min smashed a brilliant free-kick past Mathew Ryan from the edge of the box to make it 2-1 for the Reds.
Just a minute after Son’s goal, Aiden O’Neill was sent off with a straight red card, dealing a severe blow to Australia’s hopes of coming back into the game. South Korea held onto their one-goal lead despite Australia’s attacks in the second half of the extra time.
Klinsmann’s side will take on Jordan in the Asian Cup semi-finals on Tuesday.
Australia vs South Korea: Man of the Match
Son made another incredible performance at the heart of South Korea’s attacking line as they reached the Asian Cup semi-finals. The 31-year-old scored his side’s match-winning goal in style while also being crucial to his side’s quick transitions throughout the match.
Player Ratings
Australia: Ryan (8), Behich (6), Rowles (5), Souttar (6), Atkinson (7), Metcalfe (6), Baccus (6), Irvine (6), Boyle (5), Duke (6), Goodwin (7).
Bench: O’Neill (3), McGree (5), Miller (4), Bos (6), Burgess (5), Fornaroli (5).
South Korea: Jo Hyeon-woo (7), Kim Tae-hwan (6), Kim Min-jae (6), Kim Young-Gwon (7), Seol Young-woo (7), Yong Woo Park (7), Hwang In-Beom (7), Son Heung-min (9), Lee Kang-in (8), Hwang Hee-Chan (8), Cho Gue-sung (5).
Bench: Lee Jae-Sung (6), Hong Hyun-Seok (7), Yang Hyun-Jun (6), Park Jin-seob (6), Oh Hyun-gyu (7), Jung Seung-hyun (-).
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