Son steps up as South Korea's late win sends Uruguay out and sums up wild World Cup

EDUCATION CITY, Qatar -- South Korea grabbed a 91st-minute victor against Portugal to suffice arsenic runners-up from Group H successful the astir melodramatic circumstances.

Substitute Hwang Hee-Chan got the important extremity to nonstop South Korea done connected goals scored, contempt Uruguay's 2-0 triumph implicit Ghana successful the group's different crippled (both Korea and Uruguay ended level connected 4 points and zero extremity difference, but Korea had 4 goals scored to Uruguay's two.)

Portugal had taken an aboriginal pb done Ricardo Horta earlier Kim Young-Gwon's equaliser. It acceptable up a frantic 2nd half, with South Korea knowing they needed conscionable 1 much extremity to seal progress, but it looked similar they would autumn conscionable abbreviated earlier Son Heung-Min broke escaped connected the antagonistic onslaught to acceptable up Hwang with minutes remaining. And with 4 of South Korea's past 7 goals astatine the World Cup scored successful the 90th infinitesimal oregon later, you can't accidental it wasn't connected the cards.

Watching the last minutes of Uruguay's crippled successful a huddle connected the transportation pursuing the full-time whistle, South Korea could yet observe a celebrated triumph arsenic they cemented Asia's 3rd state successful the circular of 16 -- the astir all-time successful a azygous World Cup.

JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Postmatch quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures

- World Cup 2022: News and features | Schedule
- FIFA panel: "Genius" Ronaldo maneuver earned dubious PK vs. Ghana

Rapid reaction

1. Son steps up erstwhile it matters

Son Heung-Min has sometimes been accused of trying to bash excessively overmuch himself erstwhile helium plays for South Korea but erstwhile they needed him most, the Tottenham guardant stepped up.

With the 4th authoritative holding up the committee to amusement six minutes of stoppage time, Son raced the magnitude of the transportation aft a Portugal country to acceptable up substitute Hwang. The decorativeness from the Wolves guardant was arsenic composed arsenic you could get successful the circumstances but it was made by Son's quality, archetypal delaying and drafting Portugal's defenders towards him earlier delicately rolling his walk done the legs of Diogo Dalot to springiness his teammate the cleanable accidental to score.

For astir 90 minutes, South Korea were going retired -- a effect that would person perchance outgo Portuguese manager Paulo Bento his occupation -- but alternatively they are going done connected goals scored and preparing for conscionable the 3rd World Cup knockout necktie successful their history, astir apt against Brazil.

South Korea were thumped 5-1 by Brazil successful June which acceptable disconnected alarm bells up of the World Cup but aft ending the radical signifier connected specified a high, they volition judge thing tin happen, particularly erstwhile they person a subordinate similar Son susceptible of specified moments of magic.

2. Portugal are an enigma

Portugal person a star-studded squad but they'll beryllium unpredictable successful the knockout rounds. There person been moments of fantastic shot -- peculiarly Bruno Fernandes' 2 slick assists against Ghana successful the archetypal crippled -- but determination has besides been immoderate calamitous defending.

Both goals against Ghana were avoidable and South Korea's archetypal present came from a acceptable portion which deed Cristiano Ronaldo connected the back. The 2nd was a antagonistic onslaught aft their ain country having near themselves wide unfastened astatine the back.

Despite their defeat, Portugal inactive finished apical of Group H and volition fancy their chances against Switzerland, Serbia oregon Cameroon successful the adjacent round, but determination won't beryllium a batch of positivity astir a imaginable quarterfinal necktie with Spain if they get through.

Portugal person the idiosyncratic quality to vie with immoderate squad successful Qatar but the question is whether manager Fernando Santo tin gel it into a functional squad bully capable to triumph the biggest games successful the knockout rounds of large tournaments. They could easy marque it to the semifinals oregon adjacent further but besides look susceptible of crashing retired astatine immoderate moment.

3. Why was Ronaldo playing?

Portugal knew they were done earlier footwear disconnected and Santos took the accidental to remainder astir each of his cardinal players including Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix and Fernandes. One of the lone exceptions was Ronaldo, who started contempt being rated arsenic "50-50" by Santos successful the physique up due to the fact that of a ft wounded sustained against Uruguay.

You could reason that aft a stop-start play with Manchester United, Ronaldo needs games to find his lucifer sharpness up of the knockout rounds, but it was inactive unusual to spot him retired determination with what was fundamentally Portugal's 2nd string.

During 65 minutes connected the pitch, his cardinal publication was an "assist" for South Korea's extremity erstwhile a country deed him connected the backmost and fell to Kim Young-Gwon, who steered the shot past Diogo Costa. His 1 wide accidental was a header erstwhile Vitinha's changeable was parried backmost into the punishment country by South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu but the 37-year-old could lone motion it wide, portion his 11 carries were his fewest successful a commencement for Portugal since 2016 vs. France erstwhile helium lone played 25 minutes.

Visibly frustrated erstwhile helium saw his fig travel up to beryllium subbed, Ronaldo got his accustomed lasting ovation from the fans who came to Education City conscionable to spot him but determination wasn't overmuch to cheer portion helium was connected the pitch.

Player ratings

Portugal: Diogo Costa 6, Diogo Dalot 8, Joao Cancelo 7, Pepe 6, Antonio Silva 6, Ruben Neves 6, Joao Mario 6, Matheus Nunes 6, Vitinha 7, Ricardo Horta 7, Cristiano Ronaldo 5.

Subs: Joao Palhinha 6, Rafael Leao 6, Andre Silva 6, Bernardo Silva 6, William Carvalho 6.

South Korea: Kim Seung-Gyu 7, Kim Jin-Su 6, Kim Moon-Hwan 7, Kim Young-Gwon 7, Kwon Kyung-Won 6, Jung Woo-Young 7, Hwang In-Beom 7, Lee Kang-In 7, Son Heung-Min 9, Cho Gue-Sung 7, Lee Jae-Sung 6.

Subs: Hwang Hee-Chan 8, Hwang Ui-Jo 7, Son Jun-Ho 7, Cho Yu-Min 7.

Best and worst performers

BEST: Son Heung-Min

South Korea's prima had the calmness and prime to assistance triumph the crippled successful a high-pressure moment.

WORST: Cristiano Ronaldo

Played a portion successful South Korea's extremity erstwhile helium turned his backmost connected a country and did small else.

Highlights and notable moments

Portugal took the pb aboriginal connected but it wasn't Cristiano Ronaldo, it was Ricardo Horta.

Then Ronaldo got progressive astatine the incorrect end, with the shot bouncing disconnected his caput from a country earlier mounting up Kim Young-Gwon to get the equaliser.

Incredibly, with lone minutes remaining, and South Korea needing 1 extremity to advancement connected goals scored, Hwang Hee-Chan enactment them through.

After the match: What the players and managers said

Portugal manager Fernando Santos: "Things didn't spell good and the work is mine, obviously. In the 2nd fractional the squad had galore ups and downs. In the archetypal half, we didn't fto them counterattack, but successful the second, the shot circulated slower, precise individualized. It had already happened with Serbia and the players cognize perfectly good that it can't happen, they are much than warned of this. It cannot happen.

"Morale was precocious and it volition shingle a little, which is normal, but connected the different manus this volition beryllium a telephone to reason. This radical is precise focused and volition recognize this much from that perspective, we person to proceed to beryllium the aforesaid arsenic we person been until now. We tin ne'er dilatory down, successful a World Cup immoderate hostile is precise dangerous. Cristiano Ronaldo near (the transportation erstwhile substituted) upset due to the fact that a Korean subordinate was sending him distant and Pepe adjacent had to intervene."

South Korea adjunct manager Sergio Costa: "We're precise happy, we deserved it for everything we did successful the 3 games. The effect with Ghana was tremendously unfair, with Uruguay we competed successful the champion mode and against a large squad similar Portugal, afloat of idiosyncratic talent, organised and competent, we managed to fulfil our crippled program and execute what was an interior nonsubjective of ours. We dedicate this triumph to each the South Korean radical who enactment america a lot. We'll observe a little, remainder and contiguous we'll spot our apt opponent. Then, similar each games, we'll hole it successful the aforesaid way. Knowing strengths, weaknesses, adjusting to our characteristics and preparing the gameplan."

Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)

- Ricardo Horta scored Portugal's 6th-ever World Cup extremity successful the 5th infinitesimal oregon earlier -- tied for 3rd-most each clip with Brazil.

- His extremity was the 5th consecutive World Cup extremity scored by players different than Cristiano Ronaldo, the astir without Ronaldo since a streak of nine-straight betwixt 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

- Before the game, Portugal were unbeaten (15-0-3 W-L-D) erstwhile scoring archetypal astatine the World Cup.

- Kim Young-Gwon became the 10th antithetic South Korea subordinate to people 2 oregon much goals successful World Cup history. He is besides the oldest South Korea subordinate (32 years) to people successful a World Cup since Hwang Sun-Hong (33) vs. Poland successful 2002.

- Hwang Hee-Chan (90'+1) scored the 6th stoppage-time regularisation extremity by South Korea successful World Cup history. Three of them were successful 2018 World Cup.

- Four of South Korea's past 7 goals astatine the World Cup person been scored successful the 90th infinitesimal oregon later.

- Hwang Hee-Chan's extremity was South Korea's 2nd game-winning stoppage-time extremity World Cup past (also vs. Germany successful 2018).

- 3 Asian countries person precocious to the circular of 16 -- the astir each clip successful a azygous World Cup.

Up next

Portugal: A round-of-16 crippled against the runners-up successful Group G -- Switzerland, Serbia oregon Cameroon -- awaits connected Dec. 6 astatine the Lusail Iconic Stadium astatine 10 p.m. section clip / 2 p.m. ET.

South Korea: Incredibly, against each the odds, they person a crippled against Brazil connected Dec. 5 astatine the Stadium 974, Doha astatine 10 p.m. section clip / 2 p.m. ET.