After an unexpected goal by Hwang Hee-chan in the 91st minute helped his team clinch a startling 2-1 victory over Portugal in the final Group H match, South Korea pulled off one of the tournament’s most incredible comeback victories. South Korea’s advancement to the Round of 16 was assured by the victory, although Portugal had already qualified after a win in their previous encounter against Uruguay. With the help of Hwang’s goal and Korea’s victory, the team managed to edge out Uruguay on goal differential and move up to second place in Group H, qualifying for the knockout rounds.
Ricardo Horta scored the game’s first goal for Portugal in the fifth minute, giving Ronaldo and his squad a lead over their Asian opponents right away as the contest got underway. Young-Gwon Kim’s equalizer in the 27th minute gave South Korea a chance to fight back early in the first half. The first half ended with the scores tied at 1-1 as the referee blew the whistle.
Portugal had more control and started tossing the ball around more in the second half of the game, but South Korea held their ground and prevented Ronaldo and his teammates from taking advantage of any scoring opportunities they created. The Koreans were able to stay composed in the face of the Portuguese attack and search for the ideal opportunity to strike because of their increasingly adaptable play.
The Koreans breathed a sigh of relief when Portugal captain Ronaldo was substituted by striker Andre Silva in the 65th minute. South Korea then started looking for that one decisive goal that would advance them to a probable matchup with Brazil in the round of 16.
With 8 minutes of additional time being added as the clock approached 90 minutes, it seemed as though this unusually competitive match would end in a draw. Son Heung-min made an exquisite pass into the box at the start of extra time, but Hwang Hee-chan ran in doggedly for the ball. In the last seconds of the game, Hwang slipped the ball past Diogo Costa and into the far corner, giving his team a shocking 2-1 victory over the more powerful Portuguese club. It didn’t take long for the referee to blow the final buzzer, giving South Korea an enormous and shocking victory over a much superior Portuguese team.
Prior to this match, South Korea had just one point to their name. If they wanted to stand a chance of reaching the top 16, they had to defeat Portugal regardless of what. South Korea was saved from elimination from the World Cup by two goals—first an equalizer by Young-Gwon Kim in the 27th minute and then an unexpected winner by Hwang Hee-chan in extra time. For the first time since the 2010 World Cup, South Korea will advance to the round of 16, where they will face the Group G winners and five-time world champions Brazil.
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