Kim Chi Woo’s free kick during the 7th minute of injury time kept South Korea on top of Asia’s Group A qualifying group. The match ended with a 1-1 draw in favor of the Red Devils.
Prior to the match, Taeguk Warrior’s boss, Choi Kang-Hee already stressed that the Cedars is a strong force to overcome when playing in their own territories. This is despite of the fact that Lebanon is the group’s underdog—and true enough, the Lebanese squad refused to wave the white flag.
Early on the game, Hassan Maatouk’s 12th minute shot ensured the lead for Lebanon—thanks to South Korea’s poor defence. Maatouk, however, was not the only source of the country’s impressive performance. Among other players, it was really the mighty goalkeeper Abbas Hassan that almost buried the Red Devils.
Throughout the match, Hassan denied South for several times. One of these was Lee Chung-yong header. Another major save followed when he blocked Kim Chi-woo’s attempt on the 33rd minute.
Hassan’s determination not only to win, but also to keep a clean sheet continued during the 2nd half as he deflected Lee Chung-yong’s second attempt and Lee Dong-gook’s header. Unfortunately, for Hassan and the rest of the Cedars, the seemingly insurmountable defence found its waterloo in Kim Chi Woo’s free kick.
As for South Korea’s part, the previous match is a hard lesson learned. They need to step-up their defence should they want to enjoy an automatic qualification into the World Cup.
South Korea is still on the top spot of the qualifying group with eleven (11) points. Following them is Uzbekistan, which also have 11 points. South Korea, however, has a better goal difference.
South Korea’s will next face Uzbekistan in Seoul and Iran in Ulsan.
Photo Credit: Zimbio
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