South Korea moved a step closer to burying their 55-year Asian Cup hoodoo when they grabbed a goal in each half to beat Iraq 2-0 on Monday and set up a final against either Australia or the United Arab Emirates.
Lee Jeong-hyeop gave the Taegeuk Warriors the lead with a 20th minute header and defender Kim Young-gwon lashed the second into the net five minutes after the break as South Korea reached the final for the first time since 1988.
Iraq, perhaps emotionally and physically drained by their dramatic quarter-final victory over Iran last week, played with plenty of passion, but were unable to become the first side to breach the South Korea defense in five matches in Australia.
Photo: Reuters
Their hopes of another fairy-tale run to the title to match their 2007 triumph were washed away in the Sydney rain and it is twice champions South Korea who will return to Stadium Australia on Saturday in search of a first Asian Cup crown since 1960.
South Korea had looked the most likely to score in a cagey opening to the match, with Son Heung-min, the two-goal hero of South Korea’s quarter-final victory over Uzbekistan, drawing a fingertip save out of Jalal Hassan with a long-range effort.
A minute later and South Korea were in front, Kim Jin-su curling a free-kick into the penalty area and Lee rising above the Iraq defense to head down and into the net.
Iraq skipper Younis Mahmoud was making his presence felt up front, but South Korea are not a side to be bullied at the back and he was more often than not battling alone in the first half.
Even the persistent rain that fell on Sydney all day was not able to dampen the spirits of a noisy crowd of more than 36,000, the South Korea fans at one end with inflatable batons, and the band of Iraq fans at the other accompanied by drums and whistles.
South Korea had more to shout about, but Iraq gave their supporters a lift with a flurry of attacks just before the break when winger Amjed Kalaf’s raking drive forced Kim Jin-hyeon to get down low to push the ball across his goal.
The South Korea goalkeeper gave Iraq the sniff of an equalizer when he rashly charged out of his area three minutes after the break, but another two minutes on and his team’s lead had been doubled.
The ball bounced around the area in an extended bout of aerial ping-pong from a Son corner, before Lee Jeong-hyeop chested the ball down for Kim Young-gwon to hit it first time from the edge of the area past the despairing dive of Hassan.
Iraq were forced to press forward, but clear-cut opportunities were still few and far between for them, while Hassan had to be at his sharpest to deny long-range efforts from South Korea skipper Ki Sung-yueng and Son inside a minute.
Kalaf continued to cause problems with his pace, but there always seemed to be a South Korea foot or head to cut out the final ball and prevent a scoring chance.
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