South Korea advance to
Asiad soccer semis
Alastair Himmer
A first-half penalty from captain Lee Dong-gook gave hosts South Korea a 1-0 win over Bahrain on Tuesday to set up a semi-final against defending champions Iran at the Asian Games.
The Iranians beat Kuwait 1-0 thanks to a superb free-kick from midfielder Eman Mobali, despite playing without top striker Ali Daei, who returned home earlier in the day after his father passed away late on Monday.
Meanwhile, striker Satoshi Nakayama snatched a 61st minute winner as Japan beat China 1-0 to secure a place in the last four for the first time since 1970. They next play Thailand, who ran out 1-0 winners over North Korea in their quarter-final.
South Korea wasted a number of chances in the first half but eventually broke through in the 39th minute when Lee blasted a penalty into the roof of the net after Bahrain goalkeeper Rahman Kharem had hauled down Kim Du-hyun.
They could have added a second in the 53rd minute after the break when Park Ji-sung evaded two tackles and whipped in a low cross but Lee saw his near-post effort well blocked by Kharem.
Lee had a "goal" ruled out for offside three minutes later and he was guilty of another point-blank miss in the 70th minute after good work from World Cup forward Lee Chun-soo.
Substitute Kim Eun-jung then hit the post in the 84th minute and had another effort cleared off the line in stoppage time as South Korea piled on the pressure in front of a boisterous crowd of 43,000 in Ulsan.
SHARP FINISH
But South Korea, who have five World Cup players in their squad for the Asian Games under-23 tournament, will need to play better against Iran in the semi-finals on Thursday.
"Bahrain must have done their homework because they were very difficult to break down. We only have one day to rest and we know how good Iran are, so it will be a real test of concentration," said South Korea coach Park Hang-seo.
Iran missed the experience of Daei but Mobali settled a scrappy encounter at Yangsan Stadium in Pusan, curling a free-kick into the top corner in the 72nd minute to keep their campaign for a fourth title on course.
Meanwhile, Japan reached the semi-finals for the first time since the 1970 Games in Bangkok thanks to a sharp finish against the run of play from Nakayama.
Japan, who have brought their under-21 side to Pusan, soaked up intense pressure from China at Masan Stadium but struck the decisive blow 16 minutes after the break when left-back Hikaru Mita crossed for Nakayama to fire home at the near post.
Thailand, coached by former Aston Villa striker Peter Withe, beat North Korea 1-0 as midfielder Noyvach Manit pounced on a poor clearance from Ri Man-chol to rifle home the winner from 15 metres seven minutes into the second half.
