South Korea came home to Suwon to face underperforming United Arab Emirates. Ahmad Khalil was out injured for UAE, leaving their star striker Ismail Matar (picture, white) alone up top. UAE proved to be stronger defensively than South Korea had anticipated, meaning that the Taegeuk Warriors had to adjust their offensive formation for the second half after a scoreless first forty-five minutes.
The two South Korean attackers were moved further up the pitch for the second half of play. A mistaken backward pass from Matar led to the break that allowed Park Chu-Young to score his fifth goal in Group B play. Disaster struck UAE with an unfortunate own goal hit the net thirteen minutes later. To their credit, UAE kept pushing, and Matar scored on a beautiful sombrero one-two-one play in stoppage time. However, South Korea win and take the full three points.
Surprising Lebanon, losers of both road matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, have been great at home with wins against Bangladesh and UAE. Lebanon got off to a great start against Kuwait in Beirut, striking the net from a Hassan Maatouk shot one quarter of an hour into the match. Lebanon controlled the ball for the rest of the half and led 1-0 at halftime.
Lebanon had the game won were it not for a couple of killer mistakes. A Kuwaiti free kick five minutes into the half was not threatening the goal until it was headed high by a Lebanese player onto his own far post, where it was headed down into the goal by a Kuwait player. With four minutes left in the second half, Lebanon believed themselves to have won the match after Maatouk stepped up and nailed a penalty shot after a near-paradinha run up. However, a low cross rolling toward a Kuwaiti player who actually fell down injured on the play was nevertheless turned into the Lebanese goal but a sliding defender. Lebanon and Kuwait had to navigate eight minutes of second half stoppage time after play was stopped for six minutes earlier in the half due to fireworks in the stands. Kuwait were able to escape with an undeserved 2-2 draw and remain in second place in the group.
South Korea 7 pts +7
Kuwait 5 pts +1
Lebanon 4 pts -4
UAE 0 pts -4
Goals
South Korea
Park Chu-Young 50
Ismail Hamdan 63 OG
United Arab Emirates
Ismail Matar 90+1
Lebanon
Hassan Maatouk 15, 86 PK
Kuwait
Musaed Nada 50
Mahmoud Younes 88 OG
Match Reports:
Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xiFdk-6l5s (South Korea v. UAE)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUD8VSnOWH4 (Lebanon v. Kuwait)
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