Three Asian Confederation nations, South Korea, Japan and Australia, made it into the World Cup Round of 16, the most by the Confederation in a single World Cup.
South Korea took a 2-1 upset win over Portugal at 2:20 a.m. KST, knocking Portugal out of the round of 16 for the first time since 2014. While the situation looked dire for South Korea as right winger Ricardo Horta scored a goal within the first five minutes, a quick response from center back Kim Young-Gwon brought on a back-and-fourth stalemate that lasted until the game's final minutes.
South Korea has not made the round of 16 since 2010, where a 2-0 win over Greece in the group stages set them up for a match against Luis Suárez and the 2010 Uruguayan national team. Though they scored one goal during a valiant fight in Port Elizabeth Stadium, two scores from Suárez in the seventh and 79th minutes ultimately sealed their elimination in the first round before Uruguay went as far as the semi finals.
Japan shocked the world when it pulled off a miracle victory against Spain on their way to first place in the Group E standings and their second-straight World Cup round of 16 appearance. Controversy arose as the ball appeared to go out of bounds before it was saved by midfielder Kaoru Mitoma, paving the way for a key cross in the perfect spot for midfielder Ao Tanaka to send it home. Japan would lock things down on defense just enough to secure a 2-1 comeback victory.
“The players persisted and they persevered and they turned the tide of the game,” Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said after the game. “Everybody was excited that we were able to play as one again.”
Australia finished things off when they stunned Denmark and pushed them out of the Group D standings with a 1-0 victory. Australian forward Mathew Leckie scored the game's only goal at the 60-minute mark before locking down a worn-down Denmark team for the rest of the match.
Follow Us
Subscribe