In a thrilling contest at Al Janoub Stadium, South Korea secured a spot in the Asian Cup semi-finals with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory against Australia in extra time.
The decisive moment came when Son Heung-min scored a sublime free kick, sealing the triumph for the east Asian team.
Australia, who had previously defeated South Korea in the 2015 final with the same scoreline in extra time, found themselves on the receiving end this time. South Korea managed to force extra time by netting a late goal in stoppage time.
The upcoming semi-final clash for South Korea is against Jordan on Tuesday, as the Middle Eastern side secured their place with a 1-0 victory over Tajikistan earlier on Friday. Notably, South Korea had previously faced Jordan in the group stage, securing a 2-2 draw with a late equalizer.
Australia took the lead just before halftime through a well-executed sequence of passes in the box, culminating in Nathaniel Atkinson’s cross finding Craig Goodwin, who calmly volleyed into the bottom corner.
Despite an opportunity for Martin Boyle to extend the lead, goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-Woo’s crucial saves and Mitchell Duke’s subsequent volley missing the target provided South Korea with a reprieve.
