South Korea limp into quarters
A one-nil win is enough to put South Korea into the last eight.
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| Battling: South Korean Lee Chun Soo (L) fights for the ball with Indonesian Syamsul Bachri [AFP] |
South Korea squeezed into the Asian Cup quarterfinals thanks to Kim Jung-woo’s first-half strike in their 1-0 win over Indonesia.
Starting the match in last place with one point from its opening two matches and relying on other results, the Koreans advanced as No. 2 in Group D behind Saudi Arabia, which beat Bahrain 4-0.
The result meant disappointment for Indonesia and 90,000 fans in Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
A draw would have been enough for the co-hosts to advance, but their thrilling
adventure in the competition ended.
After all three goals against in the previous two games had been the result of crosses, Indonesian coach Ivan Kolev dropped usual goalkeeper Yandri Pitoy and drafted in the taller Markus Rihihina.
The replacement was busier than his Korean counterpart in a first half that saw the two-time champions have much of the play without creating too many clear opportunities.
The Koreans took the lead 34 minutes.
Lee Chun-soo beat two defenders outside the box and rolled the ball to Kim, whose fierce shot took a slight deflection off Muhammed Ridwan before flying into the net.