FIFA World Cup 2022 | South Korea beats Portugal 2-1 to qualify for last-16

South Korea’s players celebrate their victory during the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group H football match between South Korea and Portugal at the Education City Stadium in Al-Rayyan, west of Doha on December 2, 2022.
| Photo Credit: AFP

South Korea scored a late goal to beat Portugal 2-1 in the World Cup on Friday, a win that looked set to send the Asian side into the last 16 ahead of Uruguay on the number of goals scored.

With the clock ticking down on South Korea’s time in the tournament, striker Son Heung-min ran free after a Portugal corner in added time and slipped a pass to Hwang Hee-chan who fired past Diogo Costa to spark wild celebrations

Ricardo Horta of Portugal celebrates after scoring the team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group H match between Korea Republic and Portugal at Education City Stadium on December 02, 2022, in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images

After an early opener for Portugal by Ricardo Horta, Kim Young-gwon gave the Koreans hope in the 27th minute when a corner struck Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo on the back and fell kindly for the defender to sweep the ball home.

The last-gasp win for South Korea looked set to earn them second place in Group H ahead of Uruguay, who were winning 2-0 against Ghana. Portugal finished top of the group. 

Teams

South Korea (4-2-3-1):

Kim Seung-gyu; Kim Jin-su, Kim Young-gwon, Kwon Kyung-won, Kim Moon-hwan; Jung Woo-young, Hwang In-beom; Lee Kang-in, Lee Jae-sung, Son Heung-min (captain); Cho Gue-sung

Coach: Paulo Bento (POR)

Portugal (4-2-3-1):

Diogo Costa; Diogo Dalot, Antonio Silva, Pepe, Joao Cancelo; Ruben Neves, Matheus Nunes; Ricardo Horta, Joao Mario, Vitinha; Cristiano Ronaldo (captain)

Coach: Fernando Santos (POR)

Referee: Facundo Tello (ARG)

(With input from agencies)