South Korea Suffers 1-4 Defeat to 'World's Strongest' Brazil... Knocked Out of Quarterfinals (Summary)

Allowed 4 Goals in First Half Showing Skill Gap Reduction
Baek Seung-ho's Consolation Goal in Second Half
Brazil Faces Croatia, Who Defeated Japan, in Quarterfinals

On the 6th (Korean time), at the 974 Stadium in Doha, Qatar, during the Round of 16 match of the 2022 Qatar World Cup between South Korea and Brazil, the national team players who lost 1-4 are greeting the fans.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The wall of the world's strongest Brazil was high. The miracle of the Bentoho stopped at the round of 16. The South Korean national football team faced Brazil in the round of 16, conceding many goals and losing control, failing in their challenge to advance to the quarterfinals.

Led by coach Paulo Bento, the South Korean national football team lost 1-4 to Brazil in the 2022 Qatar World Cup round of 16 match held at the 974 Stadium in Doha, Qatar, at 4 a.m. on the 6th (Korean time).

Against world No. 1 Brazil, South Korea conceded many goals early in the game and showed signs of shaking throughout the first half. In the second half, they made aggressive substitutions and matched Brazil evenly, and Baek Seung-ho scored a precious consolation goal, but it was not enough to take control of the game.

South Korea's challenge, which advanced to the round of 16 for the first time in 12 years since the 2010 South Africa World Cup and aimed for the first-ever away quarterfinal appearance, ended after four matches.

Brazil, which secured advancement to the round of 16 early in the group stage, replaced most of the starting lineup in the third match to give the main players sufficient rest. On the other hand, South Korea played with full strength in the third match against Portugal and then played again after only three days, so most of the starting players seemed heavy in movement.

Moreover, early goals conceded caused the South Korean midfield defense to shrink back, and Brazil's relentless offensive attack, which did not miss this opportunity, ended the first half at 0-4.

Brazil, challenging for their first World Cup title in 20 years since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, set a record of advancing to the quarterfinals for the seventh consecutive time. Brazil will face Croatia at 12 a.m. on the 10th at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan to compete for a place in the semifinals.

Earlier, Brazil struggled with a goal drought, scoring only three goals in three group stage matches, fewer than the four goals scored by the South Korean team. However, Brazil fully displayed the attacking power they had not shown against the South Korean team.

Right from the start of the match, in the 7th minute of the first half, Brazil's Raphinha (Barcelona) broke through the right flank, bypassed the South Korean defender, and delivered a low cross to the left flank to Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), who scored the opening goal.

In the 13th minute of the first half, Brazil scored an additional goal. During a ball contest inside the penalty area between Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd) and Richarlison (Tottenham), a penalty kick was awarded after Richarlison was tripped. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) took the penalty and scored against South Korea's goal.

Then, in the 29th minute of the first half, Richarlison added another goal with a brilliant individual skill. Receiving a penetrating pass from Thiago Silva (Chelsea), Richarlison connected with a shot, conceding the third goal.

The relentless offensive continued. In the 36th minute of the first half, Vinicius delivered a cross, and Lucas Paqueta (West Ham) followed up with a shot, scoring the fourth goal.

Brazil's attack continued even in added time of the first half. During a counterattack, Richarlison broke through the South Korean defense and shot toward the goal, but Kim Seung-gyu (Al Shabab) made a save, preventing further goals.

South Korea showed a strong performance without retreating against FIFA-ranked No. 1 Brazil. They continuously pressured Brazil, engaged in fierce physical battles to maintain ball possession, and sought scoring opportunities, but failed to convert them into goals.

Coach Bento made substitutions at the start of the second half, replacing Kim Jin-su and Jung Woo-young with Hong Chul and Son Jun-ho, positioning Son Heung-min on the left flank and Hwang Hee-chan on the right to launch counterattacks. The revitalized South Korean team created a scoring chance in the 2nd minute of the second half when Son Heung-min faced a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. However, Son's shot hit goalkeeper Alisson's shoulder and missed the goal, missing his fourth World Cup goal.

To score at least one goal, South Korea applied an aggressive tactic by substituting Lee Jae-sung with Lee Kang-in in the 29th minute of the second half. In a free-kick situation, Baek Seung-ho fired a powerful left-footed long-range shot from the back, shaking Brazil's net. Baek Seung-ho's consolation goal marked the first goal conceded by goalkeeper Alisson in this tournament.

To gain momentum, South Korea substituted Cho Gue-sung with Hwang Ui-jo in the 35th minute of the second half, seeking additional goals. However, due to fatigue from consecutive matches, the players' passing and crossing accuracy declined, and the match ended.