[Lam Cheuk Chun, Doha, Qatar] The Asian Cup Round of 16 match between South Korea and Saudi Arabia took place on Wednesday (31st) at Doha's Education City Stadium. The "Taiji Tigers", who were the first to fall behind, saved the day with a 9-minute stoppage time header by backup Cho Kyu-sung, forcing Saudi Arabia to settle for a 1-1 draw at the statutory time, and Cho Hyun-woo, who saved his opponent's shots twice during the 12-yard period of the exchange of shots, to beat the opponent and advance to the final.
The South Koreans have taken away Cho Kyu-sung, Son Heung-min as the arrowhead, Jung Yo-young and Lee Kang-in as the wings, Hwang In-beom as the midfielder, and Kim Min-jae and Kim Young-gwon in the middle of the backline; while the Saudis have captain Aidah Al-Shani in the lineup, and Al-Ashari as the striker. Most of the stands are filled with Saudi Arabia supporters, which makes South Korea feel as if they are the visitors.
The two sides started the game cautiously, with Son Heung-min failing to beat Saudi Arabia's Aqsa in the 26th minute after a long pass into the penalty area. 1 minute later, Saudi Arabia counter-attacked, with Al-Ashari's effort going out of bounds at the post. Later on, Ashley and Rahami hit the post and the ball bounced out of the box, and the goal passed by before the half time.
After the change of sides, Saudi Arabia's manager Wen Xianni's substitution made an immediate impact. Less than a minute after he came on the field, the backup Radif broke the deadlock by shooting past Cho Hyun-woo in the penalty area. The South Koreans pressed forward and brought in Cho Kyu-sung, who has been criticized for his performance in this year's tournament, to strengthen the attack and besiege the Saudi defense in the latter part of the match. In the 9 minutes of extra time, the efforts of the "Taiji Tigers" finally paid off, Cho Kyu-sung received a hammer pass from Seol Young-woo and added a goal in front of the goal, answering the controversy with a goal and tying the game at 1-1 within the statutory time limit for the South Koreans.
