Uruguay struck another blow for South America today, downing South Korea 2-1 at Nelson Mandela Bay to become the first team through to the World Cup quarterfinals.
Led by two goals by Luis Suarez, Uruguay also became the first team from the continent other than Argentina or Brazil to reach the final eight since 1978.
Uruguay is on course to equal or exceed its best finish since 1970, the last time they reached the quarterfinal stage of a World Cup. Then, they were eliminated by fellow South Americans Brazil 3-1 in the semifinals, and fell 1-0 to West Germany in the consolation game. This time around, Uruguay will next face the winner of the USA-Ghana match.
Uruguay outlasted a surprisingly resilient Korean side in a game that saw 45 minutes of torrential rain turn Port Elizabeth Stadium’s pitch into soup. Despite taking an early lead and controlling vast tracts of land, Uruguay made a critical mistake to allow the Koreans back into the game and had to be saved by a wonder strike from Suarez — and what a beauty it was.
The Ajax man set up the winner when he beat two men to create the space (aided by an errant South Korean touch), measured his shot, and sent a right-footed blast to the far post that just kissed the woodwork as it settled into the net. It was Suarez’s third goal of the tournament, and the second straight game in which he nicked the winner.
But manager Oscar Tabarez will likely concede that his side should have not needed such a dramatic rescue. After all, it took only eight minutes for Uruguay to score in the first place. Seongnam 'keeper Jung Sung-ryong made a hash of a cross from Diego Forlan, allowing the ball to skip to Suarez at the near post. The scorer was able to tap it back to the far corner without any trouble. It was the latest dreadful error by a goalkeeper, but the fact of the matter is Sung-ryong got no help from his defense — his entire four-man back line stood and watched as the ball flew by them.
South Korea was also fortunate not to concede a second goal right before the end of the first half when referee Wolfgang Stark allowed Ki Sung-yong to escape from a clear handball in the box that denied Maximiliano Pereira a scoring opportunity. That was a gift, as Sung-yong clearly moved his elbow to intercept the ball. How the normally strict German referee missed it is something of a mystery.
Uruguay negated South Korea’s assets — speed, organization and a willingness to commit to the attack — with a tactical assessment that allowed the Koreans the illusion of possession with few of the benefits. The South Americans ceded Korea the right side of the field, giving the ineffective Cha Doo-Ri room to cross and roam, but shut down the left side and always kept men around Manchester United’s Park Ji-Sung.
The big blue wall, anchored by Lugano and Perez, forced South Korea to shoot from distance, revealing the limitations of a team that was not able to string together the quick, precise passes needed to split such organization. Park Chu-Young came tantalizingly close on two occasions, including a ripping free kick that caromed off the post in only the sixth minute. Sadly, the Monaco man has looked dangerous while always being slightly off during this tournament — and that inaccuracy would ultimately prove costly.
But, as conditions changed, so did the game. The heavens opened at the restart, and in the rain, the Koreans grew in confidence and danger. Uruguay, perhaps thinking the game was in the bag, hung back, absorbing cross after cross and leaving Suarez and Forlan forlorn.
They were made to pay in the 68th when a solid twenty minutes of insistent Korean questioning finally paid off on a set piece. Diego Lugano was called for a foul, giving the Koreans a kick that Ki Sung-Yong sent in. Lugano failed to completely clear it, and then foxed his keeper Fernando Muslera with a logy run to cover Lee Chung-Young. Chung-Yong beat three men, including the now-stranded Muslera, and headed the ball home.
That glory would be short lived as Uruguay immediately turned the jets back on, forcing the South Korean back line to concede corners, fouls and make the perpetually uncertain Sung-Ryong play the ball. Twelve minutes later, the ball was in the back of the net.
There was only one last bit of drama: With two minutes to go Park found Lee-Dong-Gook alone, and his shot squirted past Muslera in the muck. Lugano desperately cleared it away, and that was the game.
Whichever team gets Uruguay next is going to face a side that holds the ball well, moves quickly off of it, and is extremely hard to break down. They have demonstrated over the past four matches that they are capable of keeping opponents at bay and denying any serious assaults on their net. Their weaknesses are also evident: they tend to get lulled into absorbing attacks and can be beaten with quick give-and-gos that get forwards behind their back line.
The South Koreans go home with their heads held high. They achieved their best finish since they hosted the Cup back in 2002 and look to have improved dramatically from the days when they could barely shoot the ball, much less score. They are a fast, clever team that may signal the future of Asian football. Tonight, what they lacked was experience, and sooner or later, they will gain that for themselves.
Tomorrow
Two historic rematches: Germany clash with England in Blomfontein (10:00 a.m. EDT) followed by Argentina vs. Mexico (2:30 p.m. EDT) from Johannesburg.
Must-see TV
The Germany-England rivalry dates back 80 years: In 1930, when the two sides played out to a 3-3 draw in Berlin. Their record since then remains drawn: both teams have won 12 times in their 27 matches (two of which Germany won on penalty kicks) with only three draws. The last tie? 1982. Speaking of spot-kicks, England fans still haven’t forgotten how Germany ousted their lads 6-5 after a 1-1 draw in Euro 1996; nor the 4-3 (1-1) ouster from Italia ‘90 in the World Cup semis. Suffice it to say that if this one remains drawn at the end of 120 minutes, there will be a lot of folks south of Berwick-on-Tweed hiding behind couches, unable to bear to watch.
Argentina has a far larger edge over Mexico (12 wins, 4 losses, 9 draws) including the 6-5 shootout win in the 2005 Confederations Cup semis. Argentina have won every recent major clash between the two nations, including a memorable knockout round game in Germany 2006 that ended 2-1 after extra time; and a 3-0 thumping in the 2007 Copa America. By the way, Lionel Messi and Gabriel Heinze were among the goalscorers in that game, and they’ll both be on the field Sunday.
