Reduced to 10 men for more than half the match, Belgium still beat South Korea 1-0 on Thursday to finish top of Group H and eliminate the last Asian team from the World Cup.
Belgium made the difference in the 78th minute when defender Jan Vertonghen followed up a shot from teenage striker Divock Origi and tapped in the rebound past goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.
“We knew all games were going to be tough,” Belgium coach Marc Wilmots said. “But even with 10 men, we still pushed forward. These guys are really hungry.”
After three narrow victories and precious little beautiful play, Belgium are to play the US in Salvador on Tuesday.
Along with Iran, Japan and Australia, South Korea departed as the last team from the Asian federation, all in the first round.
Algeria finished second in the group after a 1-1 draw with Russia — a result that meant South Korea needed a four-goal win to advance.
They never came close.
“All of our players did their utmost. They gave it their all, but I think that it was my shortcoming, my failing as a coach that caused this result,” coach Hong Myung-bo said.
However, the former captain of the 2002 team who reached the semi-finals did not offer to resign.
South Korea did not go without a strong fight, landing the ball on Belgium’s crossbar on the hour-mark and testing standout goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with several shots afterward. Yet even with a man up, South Korea could never pressure Belgium enough to find an opening and paid the price.
For scorer Vertonghen, it was a bit of redemption after he caused the penalty against Algeria in the opener that forced Belgium into late histrionics to come back and claw out a 2-1 victory.
Belgium promised to play with flair in this tournament, but are proving that they are still a master at grinding out results.
“It gives us so much confidence to get those nine points with only 10 men and prepare for the Americans in that mood,” Vertonghen said.
Having a goalkeeper like Courtois does make it easier, especially as their defense was missing injured starters Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen. However, Belgium also proved they sorely lacked the creative skills of Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard, who were on the bench from the start.
Belgium fielded four World Cup newcomers, but were reduced to three in the 45th minute when Steven Defour planted his studs, leg outstretched, into the shin of Kim Shin-wook. Australian referee Benjamin Williams did not hesitate to pull out the red card.
Earlier, South Korea almost scored at about the half-hour mark. First, a long-distance drive from Ki Sung-yeung forced Courtois into a great diving save and, one minute later, Defour kicked a ball off the line in another goalmouth scramble.
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