Hwang Hee-chan gave South Korea a sensational stoppage-time victory over Portugal which means they beat Uruguay to reach the last 16 of the World Cup.
Hwang ran onto a quick break from Son Heung-min’s pass in the 91st minute, setting off a wild celebration from his fans in the stands.
South Korea needed a win to join Portugal in the knockout stages, but even after the final whistle, their progress could not be secured.
On the pitch and in the stands, players and supporters watched the final moments of Uruguay’s game with Ghana, knowing that one more goal for the South American side would send them out.
When the 2-0 win was confirmed, a huge roar erupted around the Education City Stadium, and South Korea managed to really get the party started.
Korea overcame a bad start to a happy ending
Any hope of a happy ending for South Korea looked unlikely to end when they fell behind after just five minutes, Portugal scoring with their first meaningful attack.
Diego Delot broke into the box from the right and, from his cut-back, Ricardo Horta made his World Cup debut with a first-time shot past Kim Seung-gyu and the goal.
This made South Korea’s task even more difficult but falling behind failed to silence their thousands of vociferous fans and their team responded quickly.
The team led by former Portugal player and coach Paulo Bento thought they had an immediate response when Kim Jin-soo headed home the rebound after Diego Costa saved Cho Go-sung’s flick header. But the celebration was cut short by a flag for offside.
An equalizer was not long in coming, however, and he followed up with another cross. This time a corner was not cleared and the ball hit Cristiano Ronaldo’s back and into the path of Kim Young-gwon, who could barely miss from close range.
With Uruguay’s win over Ghana, South Korea’s path from Group H reopened, but they didn’t seem to get the goals they wanted.
Portugal, now secured as group winners, look more likely to score, with Vitna and Horta going close.
The Tottenham star son, often his nation’s hero, was trying to push himself too far and although he got plenty of power behind two long-range efforts, both were blocked.
At the start of stoppage time, South Korea looked to be on the outside, but they made one last attack after clearing a corner and this time Sun played a pass instead of shooting himself.
He raced into the area to clear Hwang, putting Wolves ahead and providing a cool finish to put another twist on the group stage of this spectacular World Cup.
South Korea’s reward is a tie against the winner of Group G, possibly Brazil, while Portugal face Switzerland, Cameroon or Serbia.
