Foreign Media Spotlight on Korea: "Advancing to the Round of 16 in an Unbelievable Way"

On the morning of the 3rd (Korean time), at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, the national team, including players Hwang Hee-chan and Cho Gue-sung, who secured victory in the third match of Group H in the 2022 Qatar World Cup against Portugal and advanced to the round of 16, are running across the field with the Taegeukgi, enjoying their joy.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Foreign media also paid attention to the dramatic comeback goals by Son Heung-min (30, Tottenham) and Hwang Hee-chan (26, Wolverhampton), which secured South Korea's advancement to the Round of 16.

On the 3rd, when the South Korean national football team defeated Portugal 2-1 in the third match of Group H in the 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage and confirmed their advancement to the Round of 16, foreign media unanimously reported it as a "dramatic victory."

British broadcaster BBC reported on South Korea's comeback victory, saying, "South Korea overcame a poor start to the match and had a happy ending."

BBC noted that South Korea conceded the first goal to Portugal just five minutes into the game but achieved a dramatic comeback right before the end of the match. When the Uruguay vs. Ghana match ended 2-0, BBC evaluated, "Only then could South Korea truly start the party."

BBC continued, "Son Heung-min, a Tottenham star and hero of Korean football, seemed to carry everything on his own throughout the match. Both of his two long-range shots were blocked by the opponent," adding, "In stoppage time of the second half, Son Heung-min passed instead of shooting, and Hwang Hee-chan finished brilliantly, delivering another 'turnaround' in this World Cup group stage," providing detailed coverage of the comeback goal situation.

BBC gave Son Heung-min, who assisted the winning goal that day, the highest rating of 9.15 and selected him as the Player of the Match (MVP).

AFP also reported on South Korea's dramatic comeback victory, stating, "They shook the net in stoppage time to beat Portugal and inflicted a painful sending-off on Uruguay."

American sports media ESPN reported that South Korea advanced to the Round of 16 by defeating Portugal in a "unbelievable way."

ESPN gave Son Heung-min the highest rating of 9 for the match. Hwang Hee-chan received a rating of 8. In contrast, Cristiano Ronaldo received the lowest rating of 5 from ESPN.

ESPN commented, "Even under great pressure, Son Heung-min calmly led the team to victory. On the other hand, Ronaldo turned his back and did nothing during South Korea's first scoring opportunity, contributing to Portugal's concession."

Major foreign media such as AP also focused their coverage on South Korea's comeback winning goal scored in the 46th minute of the second half.

Japanese Soccer King highlighted the "Asian storm" that struck the Qatar World Cup, noting, "With South Korea also advancing to the Round of 16, for the first time in World Cup history, three Asian countries (South Korea, Japan, Australia) have reached the knockout stage."