Two goals from Luis Suarez, the prolific striker, sent Uruguay into the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 40 years as they edged past South Korea in their round of 16 clash in Port Elizabeth this afternoon.
The game appeared to be heading for extra time until Suarez struck with a magnificent effort ten minutes from time. Uruguay go on to meet the winners of the last-16 tie between the United States and Ghana in Rustenburg this evening.
Uruguay had won group A comfortably ahead of Mexico, without conceding a goal in their three matches, while Korea finished runners-up in group B behind Argentina, with one win, one draw and one defeat. It was the first time that the Koreans had reached the last 16 on foreign soil.
If the statistics favoured Uruguay, though, it was their opponents who made the better start, almost going ahead in the fifth minute. Park Chu Young curled in a free kick from 20 yards and Fernando Muslera, the Uruguay goalkeeper, watched helplessly as it struck his near post.
Stung into action, Uruguay responded quickly and decisively. Within three minutes, they were ahead, when Diego Forlan crossed low from the left and the Korean defence went missing. Jung Sung Ryong flapped at the ball, missed it and allowed Suarez to guide in from an acute angle at the far post.
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It was Suarez’s 54th goal of the season for club and country this season, having scored a remarkable 49 for Ajax in the Eredivisie in the Netherlands. It also highlighted Korea’s weakness at the back, Suarez having been given too much freedom.
At least Korea appeared threatening in attack, with Kim Jung Woo and Park Chu Young both driving wide from good positions. Cha Du Ri, the right back, also ventured forward and unleashed a speculative 30-yard effort that Muslera watched drift narrowly off-target.
The divot-strewn pitch, on which England had defeated Slovenia 1-0 on Wednesday, did not help the flow of the game. Muslera had to cope with a cabbage patch of a goalmouth that Fifa had decreed would not be used in the event of a penalty shoot-out. The spot-kick decider would be held at the other end.
Uruguay might have doubled their lead shortly before half time, when Ki Sung Yueng seemed to handle a shot from Maxi Pereira, but Wolfgang Stark, the German referee, waved away the Uruguayan appeals for a penalty.
It was at the same end that Korea attempted to lay siege in the second half as they swarmed forward in search of the equaliser. Uruguay seemed content to hold on to what they had and although Suarez sent in a shot, it lacked the pace or direction to trouble Jung Sung Ryong.
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Korea upped the tempo in the pouring rain, with Park Chu Young volleying over and Muslera making an acrobatic save to keep out Park Ji Sung’s header. In the 68th minute, Korea were rewarded for their pressure, when Uruguay failed to clear their lines at free kick, Muslera flapped at it and Lee Chung Yong nodded in his second goal in the tournament.
Uruguay appeared stunned but gradually regained their composure and, after Lee Chung Yong had wasted an opportunity to put Korea in front, Suarez struck with ten minutes remaining, curling in a superb effort that went in off the far post after Korea had failed to clear a corner. It was his 55th goal of the season and good enough to grace any World Cup finals.
Uruguay (4-3-1-2): F Muslera - M Pereira, D Lugano, D Godin (sub: M Victorino, 46), J Fucile - D Perez, E Arevalo Rios, A Pereira (sub: N Lodeiro, 74) - D Forlan - E Cavani, L Suarez (sub: A Fernandez, 84).
South Korea (4-2-3-1): Jung Sung Ryong - Cha Du Ri, Cho Yong Hyung, Lee Jung Soo, Lee Young Pyo - Ki Sung Yueng (sub: Yeom Ki Hun, 85), Kim Jung Woo - Lee Chung Yong, Park Ji Sung, Kim Jae Sung (sub: Lee Dong Gook, 61) - Park Chu Young. Booked: Kim Jung Woo, Cha Du Ri, Cho Yong Hyung.
Referee: W Stark (Germany).