By dint of playing with restraint, Portugal was punished Friday by South Korea (2-1), who snatched their qualification for the round of 16 of the World Cup in added time.
Portugal, however, retains its first place in Group H, since Ghana lost at the same time against Uruguay (2-0), in the match of the eliminated selections.
The Seleçao therefore have a good chance of avoiding at the next stage Brazil, who will face Cameroon later on Friday, and could more likely play against Switzerland, who play their last group match at the same time against Serbia.
Fernando Santos’ players had already qualified for the finals before the game, and it showed at the Education City Stadium in Doha, where they did not force before being punished by a goal from Hwang Hee-chan in the end of suspense (90e + 1).
After a Portuguese corner, Korean star Son Heung-min rushed to the Portuguese cages before subtly serving the Wolverhampton striker, who only had to cross his shot in front of Diogo Costa.
The “Taeguk Warriors” then gathered in the center circle to watch the end of the meeting between Uruguay and Ghana, before the great relief: South Korea passed at the expense of Celeste thanks to a greater number of goals scored in the group stage (four against two).
Patience rewarded
But beyond that figure, the Koreans were rewarded for their solid game from start to finish against Portugal, a tribute to patience, as they knew how to keep a balance between attack and defense, during a meeting that they had to win.
They did not lose their footing after Ricardo Horta’s quick opener (5e) following a long opening from Pepe on the right side for Diogo Dalot, and an ideal cross from the latter.
They first thought Kim Jin-su equalized after a corner, but his goal was disallowed for a slight offside position (17e). Ten minutes later, still from a corner, the Taeguk Warriors scored well this time through Kim Young-gwon, thanks to a very involuntary assist from Cristiano Ronaldo from… the back.
Established in point, the captain was booed throughout the meeting by the Korean supporters, perhaps still bitter not to have been able to see the star tread the lawn during a friendly match of his club of then, Juventus of Turin, in 2019.
Despite repeated appeals from the 65,000 spectators at Seoul Stadium, Ronaldo remained on the bench against a South Korean league club, drawing their ire.