Frequently Asked Questions, Matches, Goalscorers, and Qatar World Cup Journey of South Korea in FIFA World Cup 2022

South Korea was paired in Group H of the Qatar World Cup along with Portugal, Ghana and Uruguay at the time of the draw.

South Korea began its campaign with a goalless draw against two-time champion Uruguay before losing 2-3 to Ghana in an exciting second group stage fixture.

Entering its final group match against Portugal, the Asian nation not only needed a win but also required the result of the Ghana vs Uruguay match to go in its favour. Ricardo Horta’s strike from close range in the fifth minute gave Portugal the lead but it was cancelled out by Kim Young-gwan’s left-footed shot in the 27th minute.

The deciding moment came in the first minute of stoppage time when Son Heung-min’s through ball into the penalty area was slotted past Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa by Hwang Hee-chan. The goal also crushed Uruguayan hopes of making it to the knockouts who needed to win against Ghana by a three goal margin. The South Americans could only manage a 2-0 win and were knocked out by virtue of less goals scored.

How many World Cups did South Korea participate in before the Qatar World Cup?

South Korea participated in 10 FIFA World Cups before the 2022 edition in Qatar. It made its first appearance at the 1954 World Cup, held in Switzerland. It took 32 years for the Asian nation to make its next appearance, which came in 1986 but ever since then, it has featured at every World Cup.

What is South Korea’s best finish at the FIFA World Cup?

South Korea’s best World Cup finish was at the 2002 edition, hosted jointly by it and Japan, where it finished fourth. Since then, it has qualified for the knockouts in two of the five editions.

How did it qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar?

South Korea qualified for the Qatar World Cup 2022 after finishing as the second-placed team of the AFC qualifying group A.

Who was the coach of South Korea?

Paulo Bento was the head coach of South Korea. Before being appointed as the manager of the Asian nation, Paulo Bento served as the manager of his country, Portugal, in the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014, where it failed to advance from the group stage. Bento, a former defensive midfielder with Sporting CP and Portugal, was appointed South Korea manager in August 2018.

At the age of 35, Bento started his coaching career with Sporting CP. In the 2005-06 season, he inspired the team to UEFA Champions League qualification, finishing second behind Porto.

Under his coaching, South Korea reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup but was knocked out by eventual champion Qatar.

Bento saw the match against Ghana at Qatar 2022 end with a set of unfortunate events when his protests to the referee for ending the game abruptly, was rewarded with a red card, at the Education City Stadium on November 28. South Korea was trailing 2-3 in the second half, when a last second corner was denied to the team after 10 minutes of stoppage time.

Bento stepped down as South Korea coach after his side suffered a 4-1 defeat to Brazil in the Round of 16 clash.

Why did Son Heung-min wear a mask during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022?

South Korean forward Son Heung-min’s look left social media users curious as to why the footballer was sporting the black covering. Some even pointed out that the mask resembled that of DC Comics superhero Batman’s.

The skilled Tottenham striker was sporting the face covering as a precautionary measure, having sustained a horrific injury during a Champions League game against French side Marseille on November 2.

Although Spurs went on to win, Son’s chances of featuring in the World Cup started to look bleak as it came to be known that he had fractured his left eye socket when he collided with Chancel Mbemba.

Son, however, never gave up hope. Following a surgery, he posted on Instagram: “Playing for your country at the World Cup is the dream of so many children growing up, just as it was one of mine too. I won’t miss this for the world. I can’t wait to represent our beautiful country, see you soon.”

Who were the goalscorers in South Korea’s thrilling win against Portugal?

Kim Young-gwan and Hwang Hee-chan were the goalscorers for South Korea in its 2-1 win against Portugal in the Group H match. Kim Young-gwan scored the equaliser with a left-footed shot in the 27th minute while Hwang scored the winner in the first minute of stoppage time.

Was South Korea the only Asian team to reach the knockout stage of the Qatar World Cup?

Three countries from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualified for the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Apart from South Korea, Australia and Japan also made it to the knockout stage.

In fact, Australia became the first AFC nation to make the cut after successive wins over Tunisia and Denmark, after a terrible loss against France in its opening World Cup match.

In Group E, Japan stunned Spain with two second half goals to become only the third team in World Cup history to win two different games at a single edition in which it was losing at half-time, after Brazil in 1938 and Germany in 1970. With the win, Japan emulated its comeback, as it did against Germany and finished as the Group topper in Group E.

Where did South Korea finish in the FIFA World Cup 2022?

South Korea’s campaign at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 ended with a crushing 1-4 defeat against Brazil in the Round of 16.

How many goals did South Korea score in the FIFA World Cup 2022?

South Korea scored five goals in four matches at the Qatar World Cup. It scored two each against Ghana and Portugal in group stage fixtures but could only find the back of the net once in the Round of 16 against Brazil.

Who was the top scorer for Saudi Arabia in the FIFA World Cup?

Cho Gue-sung was the top scorer for South Korea at the Qatar World Cup with two goals. Both goals came in the 2-3 group stage defeat against Ghana.

RELATED FIFA WORLD CUP STORIES