Korea salvaged a 2-2 draw against Jordan in their second Group E match at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup on Saturday in Qatar, rescued by their opponent’s own goal during stoppage time.Korea, world No. 23, were minutes from suffering a stunning defeat at the hands of 87th-ranked Jordan, before Hwang In-beom’s shot went in off defender Yazan Al-Arab for the equalizer in the early moments of added time.Korea built a 1-0 lead thanks to Son Heung-min’s ninth-minute penalty, but Park Yong-woo’s own goal tied the score at 1-1 in the 37th minute. Then during first-half stoppage time, Al-Arab scored the go-ahead goal for Jordan, though he ended up being the culprit for the match-tying goal later.The draw snapped Korea’s winning streak at seven.Jordan stayed atop Group E with four points. Korea also have four points but trail Jordan by goal difference, +4 to +2. Bahrain and Malaysia, both winless in Group E, were scheduled to play each other later Saturday.Korea are trying to win their first AFC Asian Cup title since 1960. They will close out the group stage against Malaysia in Al Wakrah, south of Doha, Thursday.
Korea didn’t change any outfield players from their opening win over Bahrain on Monday but had a new goalkeeper in Jo Hyeon-woo. Kim Seung-gyu, who’d started against Bahrain, suffered a torn ligament in his right knee during a training session Thursday and was ruled out for the rest of the tournament.Son put Korea on the board by converting his own penalty in the ninth minute for his first goal of this competition. After taking a nifty through ball from Hwang In-beom, Son was brought down by defender Ehsan Haddad in the box. Referee Salman Ahmad Falahi didn’t initially call a penalty on the play, but following a lengthy video review, Korea were awarded the spot kick.Son stepped up and fired the ball into the center of the goal, as goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila dove to his left.
It provided a measure of redemption for Son, who had been off target against Bahrain and picked up a yellow card for diving in the box in an ill-advised attempt to draw a penalty.Jo made his presence felt with his first save of the match in the 21st minute, turning aside a left-footed attempt from Mousa Al-Tamari.But Jordan gradually assumed control of the match, using their physicality and speed to find their way into the Korean box.Jordan equalized in the 37th minute when Park Yong-woo tried to clear away a corner but instead headed it into his own net.Jordan then grabbed a 2-1 lead during first-half stoppage time, taking 토토사이트 advantage of a flustered Korean backline.