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S. Korea reach men’s football quarters with win over Mexico

August 10, 2016

BRASILIA, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) — South Korea reached the men’s football quarterfinals at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics with a 1-0 victory over Mexico on Wednesday.

Midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon scored the winner in the 77th minute at Mane Garrincha Stadium in the Brazilian capital, sending South Korea to the knockout stage for the second straight Olympics.

South Korea captured bronze at the 2012 London Games, the country’s only medal in Olympic football.

Needing only a draw to advance to the quarters, South Korea won Group C with seven points on two wins and a draw, and will take on Honduras, the Group D runners-up, in the quarterfinals in Belo Horizonte at 7 p.m. Saturday.

South Korea and Honduras played to a 2-2 in a friendly match in South Korea on June 4.

South Korean midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon (L) celebrates after his goal against Mexico in South Korea's 1-0 victory in the final Group C match in Brasilia at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Aug. 10, 2016.

South Korean midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon (L) celebrates after his goal against Mexico in South Korea’s 1-0 victory in the final Group C match in Brasilia at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Aug. 10, 2016.

Mexico dominated the ball early on, and they had their way around the South Korean defense with some physical play.

Marco Bueno took a shot from the center of the box in the 11th to test South Korean goalkeeper Gu Sung-yun. In the 26th, Cesar Montes’ header went off midfielder Park Yong-woo and settled on the top of the net. Three minutes later, Erick Gutierrez had a one-on-one opportunity on Gu that he missed.

Mexico outshot South Korea 13-3 in the first half and didn’t let up in the latter half. In the 62nd, Carlos Cisneros hit the left goal post with a mid-range strike, and Bueno’s header three minutes later just missed the mark.

Cisneros was at it again in the 70th, though his free kick sailed just over the goal.

South Korean head coach Shin Tae-yong tried to kick-start his offense by inserting forward Suk Hyun-jun and pairing him with Hwang Hee-chan up front.

South Korea finally broke through in the 77th, with Kwon taking control of the loose ball following a corner kick and scoring off his left foot.

Kwon nearly got his second goal in the 85th, but South Korea had more than enough to reach the quarters.

Germany finished as the runners-up in Group C after clobbering Fiji 10-0.

Mexico ended in third place after the loss, while Fiji finished last with three losses.