Korea was bounced from the 2010 FIFA World Cup this morning, falling 2-1 to Uruguay. Luis Suarez curled in a shot from the left corner of the box in the 80th minute to extend South America’s World Cup dominance over its Asian counterparts.
Suarez’s goal, his second of the match, came after Korea’s Lee Chung-Yong had leveled in the 68th minute on a close-range header following a free kick. It was the fourth time in the tournament that Korea had scored on a set piece, and the first goal allowed by Uruguay in this World Cup. Lee’s equalizer came after Korea had squandered early chances in the second half to square the match.
The match started at a torrid pace, with Korea’s Park Chu-Young hitting the post on a free kick in the 4th minute. Suarez then put Korea in an early hole when he caught the defense napping and buried a Diego Forlan cross into the net to give Uruguay a 1-0 lead just eight minutes in. From there, Uruguay’s resolute defense prevented the Koreans from leveling before the half.
After the interval, the winds began swirling and a persistent drizzle fell, seemingly dampening Korea’s chances. The last 25 minutes provided the drama, however, as Lee’s second goal of the tournament gave Korea brief hope of advancing to the quarterfinals. It was not to be. A Uruguay corner kick found its way to Suarez, who found the far post on a magnificent effort to beat a leaping Jung Sung-Ryong.
South American teams improved to 12-0-2 against Asian sides in World Cup play. Huh Jung-Moo’s squad, meanwhile, has to be proud of their effort in this tournament, as they made Korean soccer history in simply qualifying for the knockout round. Their performance in this World Cup gives the nation hope of bigger things to come in 2014 in Brazil.
-TBY
Photo Credit: Julie Jacobson/AP
