South Korea struggle into Asian Cup last 16 with Malaysia draw

DOHA – Son Heung-min’s South Korea toiled into the Asian Cup knockout rounds on Jan 25, after conceding a last-minute equaliser in a madcap 3-3 draw with minnows Malaysia.

The result in Doha meant the Koreans advanced as Group E runners-up and avoided a last-16 showdown with pre-tournament favourites and arch-rivals Japan.

Instead they will play Group F winners Saudi Arabia, who drew 0-0 with Thailand in a late match. The Thais finished second in the group and will meet Uzbekistan.

Bahrain topped Group E and will face Japan after a 1-0 win over Jordan, who also went through to the last 16.

“We didn’t want to avoid Japan, definitely wasn’t our plan to concede three today. We wanted to go through in first place, that was our goal,” said South Korea coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

“But Malaysia defended well, they worked so hard. They played with a lot of heart, got to give them credit for their performance but we should have won this game.”

Malaysia were eliminated despite a heroic effort that saw the world No. 130 team score a 105th-minute equaliser from Romel Morales.

Klinsmann’s side thought they had won it after Lee Kang-in equalised with an 83rd-minute free kick that went in off goalkeeper Syihan Hazmi and then Tottenham Hotspur’s Son scored from the penalty spot in the 94th minute.

Jeong Woo-yeong gave the Koreans the lead in the 21st minute, only for Malaysia to come roaring back with two goals early in the second half from Faisal Halim and Arif Aiman.

Klinsmann named Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan among the substitutes for the first time at the Asian Cup. Hwang, who has scored 10 goals in the English Premier League this season, has been struggling with a hip injury.

South Korea had the VAR (video assistant referee) to thank for their opening goal. Jeong thumped a header that Hazmi initially looked to have clawed away with a fantastic save. But the replay showed that the ball had crossed the line before Hazmi got a hand to it.

It was a rare moment of ruthlessness from a Korean side that dominated possession but could not score in the first half, and Malaysia made them pay with a stunning equaliser six minutes after the restart at Al-Janoub Stadium.

Darren Lok robbed a sleeping Hwang In-beom on the edge of the box, and Faisal turned Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae inside out before slotting the ball home from a tight angle.

And more was to come when a VAR check gave Malaysia a penalty after Seol Young-woo was ruled to have kicked Aiman, who buried the spot kick leaving some of their fans in tears as they contemplated a famous win.

Faisal almost scored again on the counter, with the Koreans pouring forward in desperate search of an equaliser. The Taegeuk Warriors kept up the pressure and Lee delivered with his third goal of the tournament.

Captain Son then put South Korea ahead from the spot after substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu was fouled in the box in stoppage time. But Malaysia had the final say as Morales notched a famous equaliser.

Before the match, Malaysia’s South Korean coach Kim Pan-gon had called on his players to “don’t fear and play bravely against Korea”.

He can be proud that it was exactly what they did.

In the other game, Bahrain netted the winner from a first-half counter-attack when Abdulla Yusuf Helal sprinted from the centre circle with just the goalkeeper to beat and pulled the trigger from outside the box. REUTERS, AFP