Korea beats Lebanon 1:0 in World Cup qualifier match
By John Duerden
On a chilly Thursday evening at Ansan’s Wa Stadium, fans had to wait until the very end for a goal but in the end it was worth waiting for. A 93rd minute goal from Lee Jang-hyeop gave South Korea a 1-0 win over Lebanon in this final Group G game in the second round of qualification for the 2018 World Cup.
The Taeguk Warriors had already won the group but wanted to preserve their 100% record of wins and also protect the even more impressive statistic of not conceding a single goal in the previous six games. The second objective was achieved with a couple of scares but it didn’t look as if the first was going to happen.
Korea will take its place as one of the 12 teams in the third and final round of qualification. The dozen will be split into two groups of six (the draw takes place on April 12) with the top two from each going through. The games will kick off later this year and there will be some very big clashes indeed.
There is still time to think about that and Lebanon gave the host a tougher than expected match. The Cedars were determined to get something from the game.
In the first half, there was little to get excited about for fans Hwang Ui-jo nearly got his second goal for his country but his fierce shot through a crowded penalty area was well-saved by Lebanese goalkeeper Mahdi Khalil who made a number of crucial stops.
The half-time statistics provided a succinct summary of the first half with Korea enjoying three-quarters of possession but with just a single shot on target.
In fact Lebanon had the best chance of the game just before the hour mark. Zein Tahan sprinted free of the home defense but, from just inside the area, shot just wide with just the goalkeeper to beat.
Shortly after Hwang missed from just two meters out with the goalkeeper though his shot was partially blocked.
All had started to accept the goalless tie when, deep into injury time, captain Ki Seung-yeung broke into the left side of the area, pulled the ball back for the substitute Lee to slide the ball home for an eighth successive win without conceding a goal. It was cruel on the West Asians but shows that under Uli Stielike, Korea keeps going until the end.
On Friday, the team heads to Bangkok for a hastily-arranged friendly with Thailand, hastily-arranged because Korea had been scheduled for a final group game with Kuwait. The Middle Easterners have been suspended from international football by FIFA due to governmental interference in the running of the game.
It will be an even more low key game than this but in the end, they are all valuable preparation for the final stage. That is when the tension really starts to build.