Korea Defeat Japan 6-5 in Shootout in Asian Cup
Goalie Lee Woon-jae made a spectacular save to give South Korea a 6-5 penalty shootout win over Japan for his team's third place finish at the the Asian Cup in Palembang, Indonesia, on Saturday.
Lee, who faced the third straight penalty shootout in the tournament, sprinted to his left and rejected a shot rifled by Japanese midfielder Naotake Hanyu, deflecting the ball up into the air with his right hand. Lee previously helped his team beat Iran in penalities in the quarter-final but came short against Iraq in a similar shootout in the semifinal.
The call by referee Ali Al Badawi of the United Arab Emirates drew strong protests from the South Korean bench, from which the Dutch coach Pim Verbeek bolted out into the field and cried foul over the ejection.
In an unprecended move in this year's Asian Cup, the referee immediately ordered a trio of South Korean coaches, including Verbeek, to leave the ground. Plays were halted for nearly five minutes due to the incident.
Despite the disdvantage, South Korean defense, led by the veteran goalie, escaped a string of perilous drives by the increasingly pressing Japan.
With just three minutes left before the end of the overtime, Japanese forward Hisato Sato received a quick cross inside the box and tried to thread it into the net, but the ball was blocked by Lee's fast-acting left hand, one of many spetacular saves the 34-year-old goalie made.
The game was also marred by a brief scuffle between the opposing players during the overtime. In this match that seemed to stake pride over rankings, the two teams received a slew of warnings in the form of yellow cards after the referee deemed some of their plays as unnecessarily hostile.
Before Saturday's match, South Korea led the historical count over Japan with 38 wins and 12 losses. But the count has increasingly worked in favor of Japan over the years. Japan beat South Korea 1-0 when they met at the East Asian Football Championship in 2005 in South Korea, the last before the Asian Cup.
Despite having co-hosted the 2002 World Cup, the two nations also share a smoldering hostility over historical issues. Seoul and Tokyo have for years locked horns over Japan's denial of repression and exploitation during its colonial rule over Korea in the early 1900's.
South Koreans have often vented out their grudge through national soccer matches, and Japan, frequently denied a chance to dominate Asian soccer, has also been pushing hard to elevate its team over the neighboring powerhouse.
The final of the Asian Cup will be played on Sunday in Jakarta, Indonesia. Iraq, who beat South Korea in penalties Wednesday, will face off with Saudi Arabia to win the title of this year's tournament that is co-hosted by Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.