`Lion King’ ‘tricks South Korea into quarter-finals

With China and Kuwait drawing to take the top two places in the Group with five points apiece, Korea’s win saw them qualify as one of the two best third-place finishers with four points. They will now play Iran in a mouth-watering quarter-final duel in Tripoli next Monday. China top the Group from Kuwait on goal difference, but their opponents will only be known when Group C completes the first round on Friday.

“Our first objective was to reach the second round and we have done that,” said relieved South Korean coach Huh Jung-Moo. “It was disappointing that we didn’t score with more of our chances but we are very happy to have reached the quarter-finals,” said Huh, who has been the target of fierce criticism in Korea after his side’s below-par showings here.

“In football you never know what is going to happen,” he said when asked about the quarter-final against the powerful Iranians. “We are ready for them … we’ll be prepared.”

Lee pounced in the 30th, 76th and 90th minutes with a text-book display of markmanship.

Korea had dominated play in the first-half but were often let down by poor distribution and wayward finishing. The first opportunity of note fell to Lee, but the-year-old striker’s free header from a Noh Jung-Yoon cross flew over the bar.

Fifteen minutes before half-time the Koreans got the goal that their territorial dominance deserved.

Park Ji-Sung crossed from the left flank and Lee arrived in the box to flick a deftly angled shot into the far corner from the edge of the six-yard area. Korea continued to dominate in the second-half, peppering the Indonesian goal with a succession of chances.

They finally made sure of victory 14 minutes from time when Lee swept in a low shot from the edge of the area after a neat cutback from Seol. Lee completed his hat-trick with a header on the stroke of full-time.

In Tripoli Kuwait dominated a tense match but were let down in front of goal against an understrength China. China’s Serb coach Bora Milutinovic had decided to leave out defensive pillar Fan Zhyi and playmaker Lie Tie because both risked a second yellow card which would have ruled them out of the quarter-finals.

After starting cautiously the Chinese started the second-half in positive fashion and tested Kuwaiti ‘keeper Falah Dabsah.

They could even have won it with seven minutes to go when Eintracht Frankfurt striker Yang Chen’s volley from five yards out forced Dabsah into a superb save.

The bold decision of Uhrin to replace influential playmaker Bader Haji by Ahmed Musaa on the hour looked like a masterstroke when with his first touch he sent a pass across goal but unfortunately neither striker was there to touch it in.