South Korea secured their spot in the semi-finals of the Asian Cup with a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over Australia in extra time at Al Janoub Stadium on Friday.
The game was a rematch of the 2015 final, which saw Australia beat South Korea by the same scoreline in extra time to lift their first Asian Cup.
However, this time around, the East Asian team was successful in turning the tables and coming out on top after netting another goal in stoppage time to force extra time.
The Socceroos took the lead just before halftime when they executed a clever switch of flanks with neat passes in the box before Nathaniel Atkinson’s cross found Craig Goodwin.
The Australian forward had ample time to set himself up for a volley into the bottom corner, beating goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-Woo.
South Korea had a chance to level the game in the second half when Martin Boyle received a cross into the box, but the goalkeeper made two saves to deny him while Mitchell Duke’s volley from the rebound went over the bar, giving South Korea a reprieve.
South Korea coach Juergen Klinsmann made a tactical change in the second half, pushing Son Heung-min further forward, and the strategy paid off when the Tottenham Hotspur forward was fouled in the box by Lewis Miller in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Hwang Hee-chan stepped up and took his time to calm his nerves before firing his effort into the top corner to force extra time.
This was their fourth goal after the 90th minute of the tournament.
With South Korea going to extra time for a second straight game after beating Saudi Arabia on penalties, Hwang won a free kick on the edge of the box from a foul conceded by Miller once again.
Son stepped up and saw his effort sail past the wall, beating Mathew Ryan in goal to find the net and spark wild celebrations with Klinsmann also letting out a roar with his arms raised.
Australia’s attempts to fight back suffered a blow when Aiden O’Neill was sent off after a VAR review for a foul on Hwang, reducing Graham Arnold’s side to 10 men for the second half of extra time where they could not find an equalizer.
South Korea will now face Jordan in the first semi-final after the Middle Eastern side beat Tajikistan 1-0 earlier on Friday.
The Koreans will be looking to continue their impressive run and book their place in the final of the tournament.
