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South Korea secured a 2-1 stoppage time win over Portugal in their final Group H game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Friday (December 2). Hwang Hee-chan scored in the 91st minute to send the Taegeuk Warriors into the knockouts, ahead of Uruguay, who finished in third place on goals scored.
Ricardo Horta put the Selecao in front in the sixth minute after some wonderful work down the right by Diego Dalot. Korea struggled to get a grip on the game early on but found their way back into the match after Kim Young-gwon equalised in the 27th minute.
Portugal failed to clear a corner, and a mistake from Cristiano Ronaldo allowed Young-gwon to slam home from close range.
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The Selecao once again started the second half stronger but couldn't conjure up clear-cut opportunities.
Korea were on their way out but upped the ante in the closing stages and found the breakthrough when Son Heung-min hit Portugal on the break. The Tottenham Hotspur star then laid the ball off for Hee-chan to fire home in the 91st minute for a 2-1 victory. Nevertheless, they had to wait till the other group game between Uruguay and Ghana ended.
Uruguay, who beat Ghana 2-0 in the other game, finished level on points (4) and goal difference (9) but lost out by virtue of fewer goals scored (2-4). Nevertheless, despite the defeat, Portugal (6) won Group H and will play the runners-up of Group E in the Round of 16 on Tuesday, while Korea will await the winners of the same group on Monday.
Here are the hits and flops from the match:
Flop: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo had a real stinker. He was well below his best and failed to truly test South Korea before being hooked off in the 56th minute.
Devoid of proper service, the 37-year-old was reduced to a mere spectator up front for most of the game, but even when opportunities showed up, he couldn't quite make the most out of them.
Vitinha's shot was parried away by Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu into his path, but Ronaldo sent his diving header wide. He was then put through on goal by Vitinha but miscued his effort, although the flag was raised, saving him the blushes.
Most importantly, though, Ronaldo was at fault for South Korea's equaliser, as he failed to clear the lines when the corner was played in, and the ball deflected off for Young-gwon to bury it.
It was a day to forget for the talismanic No. 7.
Hit: Hwang Hee-chan (South Korea)
South Korea's unlikely hero of the day, Hwang Hee-chan snatched a late winner for his team after firing a powerful effort into the past corner off a pass from Son Heung-min.
Having come off the bench in the 66th minute, the Wolverhampton forward struggled to get himself into the game till that point. When he had the chance to make a difference, though, Hee-chan grabbed it with both hands.
Hit: Ricardo Horta (Portugal)
Ricardo Horta has been in and out of the Portugal team for years now but got into Fernando Santos' 26-man squad for the Qatar showpiece.
At 28, he finally made his World Cup debut for the Selecao and needed just six minutes to get on the scoresheet.
Diego Dalot waltzed down the right flank before squaring it to Horta, who pranced inside the area to latch on clinically and put his team in front.
Hit: Son Heung-min (South Korea)
Son Heung-min went through the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup without scoring but has been a key player for South Korea throughout.
Against Portugal, he made arguably his biggest contribution yet by assisting Hee-chan in stoppage time from a counter-attack he started himself.
Portugal played in a corner that was cleared away, and the ball fell to Son, who made an electric run forward, convering probably 75 yards, before feeding Hee-chan.
The pace, the control, the lay-off - everything was just perfect.
Flop: Joao Mario (Portugal)
Joao Mario earned a call-up to Fernando Santos' squad mainly on the back of a prolific start to the league campaign with Porto, netting six goals from 12 league games.
However, he's been underwhelming at the World Cup so far, and was pretty disappointing in this game too, failing to offer anything meaningful in the attack.
He attempted two crosses in the game, but neither came to fruition, and he was beaten in the air too. Moreover, in 82 minutes of action, Mario failed to muster a single shot. Rafael Leao would've been a better choice to start.
