Sans head coach, Korea to face Portugal with knockout berth at stake

South Korea's Son Heung-min dribbles the ball during the World Cup group H soccer match between South Korea and Ghana, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Nov. 28. Ghana beat South Korea 3-2. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

It will be win or go home for South Korea, as they face Portugal on Friday for the final Group H match at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar with a ticket to the round of 16 on the line.

The kickoff will be 6 p.m. Friday at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, west of Doha, or midnight Saturday in South Korea.

South Korea will enter the match ranked third in Group H with one point, after a goalless draw with Uruguay and a 3-2 loss to Ghana. Portugal have already clinched a knockout spot thanks to two straight victories, and they will now try to lock down the top seed in the group and possibly avoid facing world No. 1 Brazil in the round of 16.

Ghana are in second place with three points. Uruguay are bringing up the rear with one point, trailing South Korea in goal difference, -1 to -2.

South Korea's Kwon Kyung-won, right, and Korea's Lee Kang-in leave the pitch after the World Cup group H soccer match between Korea and Ghana, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Nov. 28. AP-Yonhap

In order to advance to the knockouts, South Korea must beat Portugal and get help from the other Group H match of Friday, between Ghana and Uruguay.

If South Korea and Uruguay both win, they will be tied for the second-most points with four apiece. They will then need a tiebreaker to determine who will join Portugal out of Group H in the knockouts.

A South Korean victory will be for naught, however, if Ghana prevail over Uruguay, In that case, Portugal and Ghana will progress to the last 16.

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In case of a South Korean win and a Ghana-Uruguay draw, South Korea and Ghana will be knotted at four points. A tiebreaker will be necessary, with Ghana currently leading South Korea in goal difference 0 to -1. The African side also holds a sizable edge in the second tiebreak category, goals scored, at 5-2.

Korea's Portuguese coach Paulo Bento, right, argues with English referee Anthony Taylor before being given a red card during the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group H football match between South Korea and Ghana at the Education City Stadium in Al-Rayyan, west of Doha, Nov. 28. AP-Yonhap

None of these scenarios will matter if South Korea can't beat Portugal.

South Korea will have to do so without their head coach, Paulo Bento, on hand. Bento was shown a red card following the end of the Ghana match on Monday, when he had a heated argument with referee Anthony Taylor for the official's decision to blow the final whistle moments after South Korea had won a corner.

Bento's top assistant, Sergio Costa, will be in charge instead, as Bento will miss out on the opportunity to coach against his native country.

Portugal beat Ghana 3-2 and then Uruguay 2-0 so far. They were in complete control against Uruguay, methodically picking apart the opposing defense with an outstanding passing game. They attempted 596 passes, 206 more than Uruguay, while winning the possession battle at 53 percent to 35 percent.

South Korean captain Son Heung-min will have a chance to go up against fellow No. 7 and Portugal skipper, Cristiano Ronaldo. Son has played two matches wearing a protective mask over his surgically repaired face and has been mostly neutralized by opposing defenders.

But with Son kept in check, forward Cho Gue-sung has emerged as the new offensive hero. In his first career World Cup start against Ghana, Cho scored two header goals, dragging South Korea back from a 2-0 deficit. He became the first South Korean player to score multiple times in a World Cup match.

Midfielder Lee Kang-in shined off the bench in each of the past two matches, and looked especially dangerous in the second half against Ghana. Lee assisted on Cho's first goal with a pinpoint cross just one minute after entering the match, and nearly scored one for himself with a free kick in the 75th minute when South Korea were trailing 3-2.

"There's no doubting his abilities. He has been continuously improving and he has integrated well into our style of play," Bento said at a press conference Tuesday before a training session. "We've been keeping an eye on his development for a long time. I am pleased that he has been able to showcase his talent in the two matches here."

Bento also has lingering injury concerns. Against Ghana, Center back Kim Min-jae played through a right calf muscle injury he'd picked up against Uruguay last Thursday. Winger Hwang Hee-chan was not available for the first two matches with hamstring problems.

Kim will not likely miss the Portugal match, given the magnitude of the occasion and Kim's importance to the team. On Hwang, Bento said the team will continue to monitor his progress in the coming days. (Yonhap)