Malaysia strike in injury time to hold South Korea

Malaysia scored deep into added time to hold Korea Republic 3-3 in their AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Group E clash at the Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday.
The result meant Korea Republic finished second behind Bahrain, who edged Jordan 1-0 in the other match.
For Malaysia, the result meant ending their campaign on a high note after having suffered defeats to Jordan and Bahrain.
Both teams made changes to their respective defences with Lee Ki-je and Matthew Davies out injured, with Korea Republic giving first starts to Kim Tae-hwan, Jeong Woo-yeong and Kim Young-gwon for the Koreans, while Daniel Ting and Brendan Gan were in the Malaysian lineup.
Despite dominating possession from the first blow of the whistle, Korea Republic took 15 minutes to register their first shot on target, with captain Son Heung-min weaving his way into the penalty box but his shot was tipped over the bar by Syihan Hazmi.
The Koreans took the lead five minutes later as Jeong rose highest to nod home from a corner kick. Malaysian custodian Syihan looked to have clawed the ball out but a VAR check determined that the ball had already crossed the line.
Holding the lead and with Malaysia content to defend deep, the Taeguk Warriors took the pace out of the game with controlled possession for the rest of the half with Cho Gue-sung’s header two minutes from half time the only time they came close to doubling their advantage.
Despite Korea Republic starting on the front foot, Malaysia equalised six minutes into the second half when Darren Lok stole the ball off Hwang In-beom. Arif Aiman’s initial shot was blocked but Faisal Halim got on the rebound and despite being forced wide, scored from an acute angle into the far bottom corner.
Malaysia took the lead two minutes shy of the hour mark after VAR check confirmed Seol Young-woo’s foul on Arif in the penalty box, with the Johor Darul Ta’zim player stepping up to tuck away the ensuing penalty. Korea Republic threw on Hwang Hee-chan into the mix and the Wolverhampton Wanderers player almost restored parity in the 66th minute but saw his fierce volley from the edge of the box turned away for a corner kick.
The Korean onslaught came to fruition second minutes from the end when Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in produced a wonderful free-kick that Syihan managed to get his hand to but was unable to keep it out of the net.
Jurgen Klinsmann’s side thought they had won the game in the second minute of stoppage time when Junior Eldstal’s foul on Oh Hyeon-gyu was picked up by a VAR review and Son converted the spot-kick. However, Malaysia capped a wonderful performance when substitute Romel Morales struck at the very end of stoppage time, sending the ball straight into the bottom corner to snatch a deserved point for his side.
“We did not want to avoid Japan, we wanted to go through in first place, that was our goal,” said Klinsmann, who lifted the World Cup as a player in 1990.
“Saudi Arabia is our next one and it will be a battle,” he added.

Saudis top group to set up ‘very difficult’ South Korea Asian Cup clash
Roberto Mancini warned his Saudi Arabia players they face a “very difficult match” against South Korea next week in the Asian Cup last 16.
A lively but goalless draw with Thailand on Thursday– marked by four disallowed goals and a saved penalty – was enough for his team to top their group. It sets up a clash in Qatar on Tuesday between two of the tournament favourites and a managerial face-off between two legends of the European game in Mancini and South Korean coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
Mancini’s Saudi Arabia had already booked their place in the next round, as had Thailand, but Group F top spot was still up for grabs when they kicked off in Doha.
Saudi Arabia, who won their opening two games, were undefeated in their last 12 matches against Thailand in all competitions, with 11 wins.
And while they extended that run at the Education City Stadium, they could not turn their numerous chances into a winning goal. South Korea won only one of their group games and were held 3-3 by minnows Malaysia on Thursday, but Mancini called them “a very good team”, noting many of the Korean players are in top European leagues.
“We know it will be a very difficult match, not only for us, but also for them. “Anything can happen,” added the Italian.
His Saudi team had a chance to take the lead early against Thailand when they were awarded a penalty for a trip in the box. But Abdullah Radif’s tame effort was saved by Saranon Anuin, who was making his tournament debut in the Thai goal.
After that both sides had the ball in the net within two minutes of each other, but both were disallowed for offside.
Thailand added a third disallowed goal before half time, and the Saudis added a fourth after it. Thailand’s third group-stage clean sheet makes them one of just two sides yet to concede in Qatar, the hosts being the other. “If you want to get through in this competition you have to play against the top teams,” Mancini said. “You have to play Japan, South Korea, Australia, if you want to win.”