Son Heung-min saves South Korea in extra time of Asian Cup quarter-finals

Qatar Captain Son Heung-min had a hand in both goals, helping South Korea come from behind to beat Australia 2-1 through extra time in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup.

At Al Janoub Stadium on the evening of February 2, the scenario of South Korea's victory over Saudi Arabia in the round of 16 was almost repeated. The Korean team was behind in the first half, found an equalizer in the second half's injury time, before winning in extra time. This time, Son Heung-min became the hero.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Son dribbled the ball into the Australian penalty area, then cunningly set up defender Lewis Miller for a foul. Referee Ahmed Abu Bakar immediately pointed to the penalty spot. On the 11m mark, Hwang Hee-chan stood still for about eight seconds before moving, unleashing a powerful shot into the top left corner that goalkeeper Mathew Ryan had to give up despite diving in the right direction.

Son Heung-min (red shirt) was fouled by Lewis Miller in the penalty area in the fourth minute of injury time in the second half of South Korea's 2-1 win over Australia in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup. Photo: Osen

In extra time, Hwang Hee-chan dribbled hard and won a free kick. From about 20 meters to the left of the Australian goal, Son curled the ball over the wall and into the near corner. Ryan touched the ball but could not block it.

Before Australia could regain their composure, they faced further difficulties when they lost a man in the first minute of stoppage time. During a midfield clash, Aiden O'Neill kicked Hwang Hee-chan in the ankle. The referee initially issued a yellow card but changed it to a straight red after reviewing the video.

Down a man and behind, Australia could not make a difference in the remaining extra time. The gap could have been even wider if Son Heung-min or Lee Kang-in had taken better advantage of their chances.

Son Heung-min saves South Korea in extra time of Asian Cup quarter-finals

Before the match, Australia had the advantage in terms of physical strength after easily defeating Indonesia 4-0 in the round of 16 and had two more days of rest than South Korea. But the developments on the field did not show any difference. Throughout the match, Jurgen Klinsmann's team controlled the ball 73%, had 1,011 passes, 32 crosses compared to 367 and 11 for Australia.

In the first half, Australia conceded the game to South Korea and showed a disciplined and calm defense, typical of a team that had only conceded one goal since the start of the tournament. The difference was also created when Australia took advantage of the opponent's mistakes.

In the 18th minute, central midfielder Park Yong-woo lost the ball right outside the penalty area, allowing Craig Goodwin to dribble and shoot, hitting the Korean defender's leg, forcing Jo Hyeon-woo to push the ball away. Conor Metcalfe rushed in to score but missed the ball in front of an open goal. In the 42nd minute, the remaining central midfielder of Korea, Hwang In-beom, misplaced the pass, creating an opportunity for Nathaniel Atkinson to dribble down the right wing and cross to the far post. Craig Goodwin was in the right place to volley the ball to open the scoring.

Son Heung-min (red shirt) celebrates scoring the goal that raised the score to 2-1 for Korea against Australia. Photo: AFC

The only highlight of the first half for Korea came in the 31st minute. Lee Kang-in passed the ball from the center to the left wing for Seol Young-woo to run down and cross for Hwang Hee-chan to shoot into the net. However, the goal was disallowed as Seol was offside.

In the second half, South Korea tried to speed up the pace but could only approach the opponent's goal by crossing from the wing or passing. The two best chances belonged to Lee Kang-in in the 49th minute and substitute Lee Jae-sung in the 79th minute, but they could not finish well.

Meanwhile, Australia had a chance to end the match but missed. In the 53rd minute, Goodwin crossed from the left wing for Martin Boyle to head the ball, which Jo Hyeon-woo could not catch. Boyle rushed in to score the rebound but Jo still won before Mitchell Duke volleyed over the bar from close range. In the 84th minute, Jackson Irvine dribbled the ball back, passing it to Jordan Bos who ran down the left wing and crossed across the face of the goal. Mitchell Duke flew to head the ball from close range, narrowly missing the post.

Failing to capitalize on their opportunities, Australia paid the price for Son Heung-min's stellar moments. The "Kangaroos" were stopped in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup for the second time in a row. Meanwhile, South Korea entered the semi-finals against underdogs Jordan on February 6. Two victories over championship candidates like Saudi Arabia and Australia were a great morale boost for Klinsmann and his team to confidently advance to the semi-finals.

Starting lineup

Korea: Jo Hyeon-woo, Seol Young-woo, Kim Young-gwon, Kim Min-jae, Kim Tae-hwan, Hwang In-beom, Park Yong-woo, Hwang Hee-chan, Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, Cho Gue-sung

Australia: Mathew Ryan, Nathaniel Atkinson, Harry Souttar, Kye Rowles, Aziz Behich, Conor Metcalfe, Keanu Baccus, Jackson Irvine, Martin Boyle, Mitchell Duke, Craig Goodwin.

Hieu Luong

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