In dramatic fashion, South Korea are somehow still alive in Asian Cup

AL RAYYAN, Qatar — As Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev acquired the gamers into place to start out extra-time of Saudi Arabia’s AFC Asian Cup spherical of 16 assembly with South Korea, Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees rang out throughout Education City Stadium.

Planned or not, there couldn’t have been a music extra terribly applicable, completely encapsulating each South Korea’s last-gasp equaliser to ship the sport to further time — and their steely resolve to win a shootout to e-book a gathering with Australia in the quarterfinals.

With lower than sixty seconds to go of the ten minutes of stoppage time added onto the 90, the South Koreans had been hurling themselves ahead as soon as extra.

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Down 1-0 due to substitute Abdullah Radif‘s aim moments into the second half, arguably essentially the most gifted Taegeuk Warriors facet of all time was staring down a worst-ever Asian Cup since 1992 — and coach Jürgen Klinsmann was on the verge of going through the implications of main them there.

For practically half an hour, a 12-foot double-decker bus sporting inexperienced and white had been parked in entrance of the Saudi Arabia aim, with each defensive motion greeted by a roar of approval from a crowd virtually fully on the backs of the West Asian nation.

But the possibilities had been coming for South Korea.

The facet’s talisman, Son Heung-Min, discovered house and drove in a shot in the 87th minute, just for a wall of defenders to materialise in his path. Substitute Park Yong-Woo discovered house however headed large in the 89th, moments earlier than ten minutes of extra-time had been signalled on the sideline.

Cho Gue-Sung, somehow, directed a point-blank header into the crossbar reasonably than the online. Hwang Hee-Chan, one other substitute, then despatched in a headed effort that pressured keeper Ahmed Al-Kassar into a powerful save on the again put up earlier than moments later dragged a shot throughout the aim.

And then, in the 99th minute, it occurred.

Another ball was swung into the Saudi penalty space, discovering wing-back Seol Young-Woo on the again put up. The angle an excessive one, the 25-year-old opted to direct the ball again throughout the face of the aim, over the desperately raised hand of Al-Kassar, and onto the top of Cho.

This time, the Midtjylland attacker wouldn’t waste his alternative — rising excessive of a despairing Ali Lajami and levelling proceedings.

Saudi Arabia 1-1 South Korea.

The Saudi Arabia crowd was surprised, the drums behind the targets had been beating however the chanting and noise accompanying them had been flat; it will take a number of minutes for them to rediscover their voice. Their facet had largely had the sport in hand for a lot of the competition, limiting the South Korean risk till they retreated into their shell to guard their one-goal lead.

And now they had been off to further time.

There was a sense that Tuesday night’s encounter was a mammoth contest. Two of Asia’s greatest groups, that includes a number of the continent’s brightest stars, led by two of its highest-profile (and highest-paid) coaches — Klinsmann in the South Korean dugout and former Italy and Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini in the opposite.

And from the kickoff, it felt prefer it was a titanic encounter. But of a distinct kind.

Monumental not as a result of the motion instantly dazzled however reasonably as a result of there was a determined air of warning from each side — neither desirous to be the one which made the error that opened the door for his or her opponent to grab a significant breakthrough.

Both items had been sitting deep in a 5-3-2 out-of-possession, their backlines virtually utterly flat as the opposite superior ahead, and possibilities from open play — particularly these born of an prolonged build-up — got here at a premium consequently. It was a brand new search for South Korea beneath Klinsmann.

Indeed, the Asian Cup trophy featured on that pregame Saudi Arabia tifo had sat on a chessboard, and a chess match was what this sport more and more resembled. Not due to an exciting backwards and forwards, however extra in the sense that that is a chess match is commonly a metaphor used to place a constructive spin on a sport in which each side are largely cancelling the opposite out with their method.

🤯 It hit the crossbar TWICE in a couple of seconds!

How did Korea Republic survive this one? 👀 #AsianCup2023 | #HayyaAsia | #KSAvKOR pic.twitter.com/jOOLEdDzaP

— #AsianCup2023 (@afcasiancup) January 30, 2024

As the sport progressed by its opening 45 minutes, it more and more felt like all form of second to interrupt the strain would come from a second of transition or damaged play, whereby the defence wouldn’t have the time to retreat into their form and fill the angles and passing strains to their aim.

And whereas Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari and Saleh Al-Shehri are advantageous gamers, on condition that South Korea had Son up prime, arguably the best finisher in the world immediately, it felt like this was a situation that favoured the Taegeuk Warriors.

But the Saudi defence labored and labored, they usually held agency. Ali Al-Bulaihi swarmed Son after his tried management of a protracted ball ahead bounced favourably for him in the twenty sixth minute and compelled his ensuing shot to tamely slide into the ready arms of Al-Kassar. Five minutes later, a chunk of damaged play fell to the Tottenham star for a snap-shot, however the defence was capable of scramble and take sufficient off his effort to make one other straightforward save for Al-Kassar.

Up the opposite finish, the Saudis had extra of the ball however little or no to indicate for it from open play. But they still had one of the best likelihood of the opening stanza from a nook in the forty first minute, when in a sequence of heartstopping moments Al-Shehri crashed a headed effort off the put up, Lajami looped the rebound again with a header that bounced off the crossbar, and Al-Dawsari despatched in one other header that hung in the air for an age earlier than being deflected simply large.

Mancini then swung a change at halftime, bringing on Radif for Al-Shehri and was rewarded all of forty seconds into the second stanza when Al-Dawsari cushioned an exquisite contact behind the South Korean strains for him to run onto and end.

But just below an hour later, as the primary interval of additional time acquired underway, Radif and his teammates weren’t doing a lot creating anymore.

After sitting again so deep in the direction of the sport’s conclusion, their means to flick the swap and kickstart their assault once more was being examined. And it was the South Koreans that had been doing a lot of the attacking.

Kim Min-Jae pressured Al-Kassar right into a save with a headed effort from a nook in the 98th minute. An alternative to fireside into an open aim after the Saudi keeper was caught off his line was then squandered in the 108th and Al-Kassar was pressured right into a dramatic diving save by a depraved Lee Kang-In effort in the a hundred and fifteenth.

By this level, the gang had discovered its voice once more, maybe sensing the spectre of penalties looming because the gamers on the pitch struggled to maintain their legs beneath them. As gamers fell to the turf, the Saudi Arabians had one closing likelihood to take issues out once they broke in transition, our bodies left cramping in their wake, and squared the ball for Radif, just for keeper Jo Hyeon-Woo to push it away.

No winner was discovered. Penalties could be wanted.

As the 2 sides huddled collectively on the taking part in floor, the stadium DJ was now taking part in the instrumental model Lose Yourself by Eminem. Fans had been praying in the stands, earlier than bursting right into a roar as Mohamed Kanno slotted the primary of the shootout and drowning Son in an avalanche of boos earlier than he answered again for South Korea.

There had been cheers as Saud Abdulhamid struck true and jeers as Kim Young-Gwon answered.

Then, an virtually strangled cry of anguish as Jo saved Sami Al-Najei‘s effort and a few followers even started to file out as Cho positioned a wonderfully positioned effort into the underside nook and Jo guessed proper once more, this time denying Abdulrahman Ghareeb after a nervous, stuttering run-up.

It was all on the subsequent penalty.

Hwang in opposition to Al-Kassar. Mancini was up the tunnel, he could not watch. The stadium waited. And waited some extra. The Wolves man content material to work at his tempo. And then he struck true.

Somehow, South Korea had stayed alive.