South Korea dramatically reached the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup on goals scored after Hee-Chan Hwang struck a 91st-minute winner to beat Portugal 2-1 in Al Rayyan.
Only twice before in their history had South Korea advanced to the knockout stages of the World Cup, but Wolves forward Hwang came off the bench to send reverberations from the Education City Stadium to Seoul in dramatic fashion as he latched onto Heung-Min Son’s pass to slot past Diogo Costa (90+1).
Portugal, already qualified for the last 16 and needing only a draw to be sure of top spot in the group, grabbed the lead with a fifth-minute goal from Ricardo Horta, who met a Diogo Dalot cross and hammered it home from close range.
Young-Gwon Kim gave the Taeguk Warriors a lifeline after pouncing on a bouncing ball in the goalmouth and hooking it into the net (27).
Uruguay were beating Ghana 2-0, meaning South Korea needed only to beat Portugal to reach the last 16 on goals scored – and in the first minute of stoppage time, Hwang obliged.
There were stunning scenes on the pitch at the Education City Stadium as the South Korean players waited in a huddle on the pitch with a smartphone, witnessing the final knockings of the Uruguay game with Ghana, praying for no more goals.
There were tears when the final whistle went in the game taking place simultaneously across Doha, sending the Korean players and fans delirious. Both they and Japan are into the round of 16, with South Korea now likely to face Brazil on Monday.
Portugal top the group on six points while South Korea join them having finished second in Group H. Uruguay are eliminated despite their victory over Ghana.
Portugal will now face the runners-up of Group G, who are currently Switzerland, on Tuesday December 6 while South Korea are likely to take on Group G winners Brazil on Monday December 5
