(LEAD) (World Cup) Elation, nervous wait, then wild celebrations for S. Korea

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By Yoo Jee-ho

AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Dec. 2 (Yonhap) -- Even after shocking Portugal 2-1 in their final Group H match at the FIFA World Cup here Friday, South Korean players had to wait for their real celebrations.

South Korea held up their end of the bargain with the thrilling win, made possible with second-half sub Hwang Hee-chan's goal during stoppage time at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, west of Doha. But in order to reach the knockout stage, the Taegeuk Warriors also needed a Uruguay win over Ghana in the other Group H match taking place simultaneously at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, south of the Qatari capital.

The South Korea match ended a few minutes earlier than the Uruguay-Ghana match with Uruguay leading 2-0. If the score held up, South Korea would advance on a goals scored tiebreaker, 4-2. However, If Uruguay were to score another goal, then they would have advanced by beating South Korea 1-0 in a goal difference tiebreaker.

South Korean players and staff formed a circle in the middle of the field. Someone was holding a phone and a few players were watching nervously, as Uruguay took a couple of dangerous shots at the Ghana goal in the dying moments.

Thousands of South Korean supporters also stayed put, hoping that the dramatic win over world No. 9 Portugal wouldn't go for naught.

With songs by K-pop stars like BTS and Psy playing through the PA system, the final whistle blew at Al Janoub.

South Korea could breath a sigh of relief and finally celebrate. Players sprinted toward a section where their supporters had watched the match and did a head-first slide together.

There weren't many dry eyes in the stands or on the pitch.

"This is a miracle," said forward Cho Gue-sung, who has emerged as a new star here with a two-goal performance against Ghana on Monday. "I don't usually get emotional but I cried so much today. When Hee-chan scored that goal, I just couldn't believe it."

Midfielder Lee Jae-sung chimed in: "I am so happy we all get to enjoy this tournament longer. This is the greatest day of my career. Everyone wanted this so badly, and we made it possible because we had so much confidence in ourselves."

Another midfielder, Jung Woo-young, said South Korea proved that anything can happen in football when players believe in themselves.

"As long as we believed we could pull this off, I knew something like this would happen," Jung said. "We all played with so much urgency, and I think that's why we ended up getting some help from the other match, too."

Head coach Paulo Bento was forced to watch the match from the stands after earning himself a red card in the aftermath of a 3-2 loss to Ghana on Monday. His contract with the national team expires after the World Cup, and a loss or a draw on Friday could have ended Bento's tenure rather unceremoniously.

Bento will now get to coach the team from the bench for at least one more match.

"Personally, I hated that our head coach was not on the bench in what could have been his final match," goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu said. "We all wanted to make sure he'd be with us for his final match."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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