Substitute Lee Young-jun’s header deep into added time saw South Korea snatch a 1-0 win over UAE in their opening AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Group B tie at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium last night.
The last gasp win means South Korea share the Group B top spot with Japan, who defeated China PR by the same score earlier yesterday.
South Korea dominated the early proceedings but UAE’s compact defence made it very hard for the 2020 winners to find a way through as they were limited to attempts from outside the box.
UAE goalkeeper Khaled Tawhid, however, had to be on his toes - parrying away Lee Kang-hee’s effort in the 14th minute, before denying Hong Si-hoo three minutes later.
South Korea thought they had prevailed in the 18th minute when An Jae-jun struck home Kang Sang-yoon’s pass from close range, only for the latter to be ruled offside.
UAE, while content to sit deep, gave South Korea the occasional scare through Yaser Al Blooshi and Zayed Sultan on the right flank but the last chance of the first half fell to Paik Sang-hoon, only for the FC Seoul midfielder to send his strike straight into the arms of Tawhid.
South Korea head coach Hwang Sun-hong sent on Young-jun and Kang Seong-jin in the second half to bolster their attacking options.
Seong-jin played a huge role in South Korea’s barrage of attacks, just failing to convert from an acute angle in the 74th minute.
Seong-jin’s effort in the 87th minute was then ruled offside but there was no denying South Korea in added time, as Young-jun rose high to sensationally head home Lee Tae-sok’s corner set-piece to snatch the win.
South Korea face China next while UAE will look to bounce back against Japan.
Japan kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win over China at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Group B despite playing most of the game with 10 men following Ryuya Nishio’s early sending off.
Kuryu Matsui gave Go Oiwa’s side an eighth minute lead only for Nishio to see red nine minutes later for violent conduct, but a stand-out performance in goal from Leo Kokubo ensured the 2016 champions started the tournament with a win.
Victory gives the Japanese the perfect start to their challenge for a second title and a place at a eighth consecutive Olympic Games in a challenging group.
Oiwa’s side had dominated the early exchanges, with Matsuki finding space in the fifth minute to meet Hiroki Sekine’s ball with his chest and attempt to flick a shot goalward from inside the six yard box that was easy for Huang Zihao to collect.
Three minutes later, though, the FC Tokyo midfielder made no mistake from similar range.
The Japanese stroked the ball around with Sekine bursting into the box before laying off for Fuki Yamada to deliver the centre from which Matsuki gave his side the lead with a volleyed finish.