Son's extra time strike sees South Korea defeat 10-man Australia to advance to Asian Cup semi-finals
South Korea advanced to the Asian Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 comeback win over Australia in extra time at Al Janoub Stadium on Friday, with Son Heung-min scoring the winner with a stunning free kick.
Australia had defeated South Korea by the same scoreline in extra time in the 2015 final to win their first Asian Cup, but this time it was the east Asian team who triumphed after scoring another goal in stoppage time to force extra time.
"Back in 2015 it was painful, but I wouldn't call it revenge. It's part of football and that result helped me mature as a player," said Son, who had scored in the 2015 final defeat.
South Korea will face Jordan in the first semi-final on Tuesday, following their 1-0 victory over Tajikistan on Friday. South Korea scored a late equalizer in a 2-2 draw with Jordan in the group stage.
"Obviously it was another drama, we're extremely happy and thrilled to go through. It was a hard fight with Australia, we expected it. But to go 120 minutes again, I'm proud of this team and their spirit," South Korea coach Juergen Klinsmann said.
"We're in the semi-final now and we play Jordan. It speaks about how tough our group was with two teams in the semis."
Just before halftime, Australia took the lead after switching flanks with neat passes in the box. Nathaniel Atkinson's cross found Craig Goodwin, who had time to set himself up for a volley into the bottom corner.
Martin Boyle could have made it 2-0 when he received a cross into the box, but goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-Woo denied him twice, and Mitchell Duke's volley from the rebound went over the bar to give South Korea a reprieve.
Klinsmann made a tactical change in the second half, pushing Son forward, and it 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 the Wolverhampton Wanderers forward took his time to calm his nerves before firing his shot into the top corner to force extra time -- their fourth goal after the 90th minute of the tournament.
"I'm usually the first kicker but I was fatigued and Hwang was confident to step up and take the penalty, so I said ok. He's a very important player and he a good chance to prove he's important," Son said.
South Korea went to extra time for the second time in a row after defeating Saudi Arabia on penalties, and Hwang won a free kick on the edge of the box after Miller committed another foul.
Son stepped up and saw his effort sail past the wall, beating Mathew Ryan in goal and sparking wild celebrations, with Klinsmann joining in with a roar and raised arms.
Australia's attempts to fight back were thwarted when Aiden O'Neill was sent off following 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 were unable to find an equaliser.
"It's quite devastating, quite emotional for the players and staff how we finished the game. We played well for the first 90 minutes till we conceded the penalty," Arnold said.
"South Korea's players play in top leagues with a fast tempo and they can keep it up. They're playing for teams like Tottenham, Wolves - they can run the legs off teams and punish us in the end."
SportsLigue