AL RAYYAN – South Korea held the favoured Uruguay to a scoreless draw to kick off their FIFA World Cup campaign today, thanks to a combination of stingy defence and a bit of luck.
Uruguay, ranked 14th, struck the post twice in both teams’ first Group H match at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, just west of Doha, as the sides each took a point from a tightly contested match.
South Korea, ranked 28th, first dodged a bullet when Diego Godin’s header struck the bottom of the left post and rolled away from goal after the centre back was set up by a Federico Valverde corner in the 43rd minute, Yonhap news agency reported.
Then in the 89th, Valverde rang a hard shot off the left post, keeping the match tied.
South Korean captain Son Heung-min, still recovering from facial fractures, was handed a start and the star striker wore his now-signature black protective mask.
South Korea had their best chance to score in the 34th minute, with Hwang Ui-jo skying his shot after Kim Moon-hwan’s low cross found him alone near the penalty mark.
South Korea will be back at the same stadium at 4pm Monday for their next Group H match against Ghana. – Bernama, November 24, 2022
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