Asian Cup 2019: South Korea break Azkal hearts with late winner

Most predicted a whitewash ahead of South Korea’s opening match against the Philippines, who were making their tournament debut in the Asian Cup.

The Koreans are tipped to win the whole tournament under coach Paulo Bento with an exciting and cohesive team that is promising to end the nation’s near 60-year wait for a third Asian Cup title.

And they certainly looked the part at times against their lowly opposition, combining slickly in possession and moving smartly to create space against a deep and determined Philippines defence.

But it took until the 67th minute for the heavyweights to forge a breakthrough via a classy passage of play. Hwang Ui-jo showing the tournament why he could be the main front man to fear with a well-taken matchwinner.

The Azkals have bite

The Philippines, however, put on a valiant display and even broke through the Korean defence at times. The “Azkals”, or “Street Dogs”, showed their fight and bite in their debut appearance, frustrating South Korea for large periods as they battled to grind out what would’ve been a historic draw.

Fantastic defensive work from goalkeeper Michael Falksgaard and his backline (particularly Alvaro Silva) time and time again denied the Koreans, while the Azkals were themselves devastating on the counter.

Pin-point balls, quick interchange in possession, and some incredible hold-up play from lone striker Javier Patino saw the Philippines threaten to take a surprise lead against a high Korean defensive line.

The Azkals’ had two big chances either side of half-time, but Korean keeper Kim Seung-kyu was equal to Patino’s efforts on both occasions.

Pressure, and class, pays

South Korea were relentless in attack, though, and showed they have the resilience to grind out wins when the play isn’t going their own way.

On 67 minutes, veteran midfielder Lee Chung-yong slipped a clever ball into the path of Hwang Hee-chan, who did extremely well to cut back from the byline where Hwang Ui-jo was waiting to pounce.

The 26-year-old still had much to do as he received the ball with his back to goal, swivelling on the spot to avoid the attention of Luke Woodland and firing his shot into the roof of the net. It was Hwang’s fourth goal in his last six starts after waiting patiently for his chance with the national team.

South Korea were forced to battle harder than expected for their 1-0 win, but the victory sets them up nicely to push on and live up to their favorites tag. For the Philippines it was a debut performance to savor for their passionate fans and they’ll be full of confidence heading into their next match against China.