Hwang Hee-chan’s penalty hands South Korea victory
Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Hwang Hee-chan upstaged fellow English Premier League star Son Heung-min with the winner in South Korea's 1-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates last night.
Hwang's 36th-minute penalty helped the Koreans to briefly top Group A of Asia's final round of World Cup qualifiers, but Iran returned to the summit after winning 2-1 in Lebanon by scoring twice in injury time.
The match in South Korea was played at the Goyang Stadium, with over 30,000 fans in attendance, making it the largest crowd at a sports event in the country in the Covid-19 era.
Spurs ace Son, who hit the woodwork twice, said: "It's not easy to get so many chances... I feel sorry for my teammates. It's time for me to reflect (on the misses)."
In Group B, Saudi Arabia dampened Australia's homecoming with a 0-0 draw at the Western Sydney Stadium - the Socceroos' first home game in more than two years and played before a crowd of 23,314.
Saudi Arabia are still top of Group B with 13 points. Australia are second with 10, with Japan third but just a point behind the Socceroos after a 1-0 win over Vietnam. Junya Ito scored the winner in Hanoi.
Only the top two teams are assured of their tickets to Qatar 2022, with the third-placed sides going into play-offs. - AFP
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