South Korea Players, Fans Erupt Watching End of Uruguay Match
Heartbreak for Uruguay meant jubilation for South Korea.
While Uruguay dealt with heartbreak and disappointment after being bounced from the 2022 World Cup on Friday, the opposite could be said for the players and fans of South Korea.
Group H came to an end in dramatic fashion on the final day of group play in Qatar as South Korea’s Hwang Hee-chan scored a stoppage-time goal to beat Portugal, 2–1. Though Portugal held on to win the group, South Korea advanced over Uruguay on the goals-scored tiebreaker after both teams were even on points and goal differential.
Hwang’s goal in the 91st minute sent Luis Suárez and Uruguay into panic mode as the South Korea-Portugal match came to an end first on Friday. Meanwhile, the Korean team and its fans remained on the field and in the stands, waiting with bated breath to see if Uruguay could score the one extra goal it needed against Ghana to advance.
That moment never came, leading to a sour 2–0 victory for Uruguay and resulting in jubilation for South Korea. After watching on their phones for several tense minutes, players and fans alike erupted in celebration for a second time, making for one of most memorable scenes of the tournament thus far.
After all of the dust settles, South Korea will advance to face the winner of Group G in the round of 16.