Korea defeats Kuwait 1-0

CANBERRA (Yonhap) ― South Korea squeezed past Kuwait 1-0 for its second straight win at the ongoing AFC Asian Cup here on Tuesday, taking a step closer to a berth in the quarterfinals.

Nam Tae-hee headed in the first goal in the first half at Canberra Stadium on a rainy day, as South Korea overcame a sloppy defense to keep alive its quest to end a 55-year title drought at the continental tournament.

South Korea defeated Oman 1-0 last Saturday, also in Canberra.

South Korea can clinch a spot in the quarterfinals with a win over Kuwait, depending on the result of another Group A contest of the day between Australia and Oman.

South Korea will close out the group stage against Australia in Brisbane on Saturday.

South Korea and Kuwait failed to record a shot until South Korean forward Lee Keun-ho tested goalkeeper Hameed Youssef on a breakaway opportunity near the half-hour mark.

The play seemed to energize South Korea, and Nam jolted a tedious contest back to life with a header in the 36th minute.

Right fullback Cha Du-ri took a feed from Kim Min-woo in midfield sprinted down the right wing to send a sharp cross to Nam, who beat two defenders to head it in past Youssef.

For Tuesday‘s match, head coach Uli Stielike replaced seven players from the starting lineup against Oman, handcuffed by injuries and illnesses. With the new faces clearly not in sync with one another, Kuwait took advantage and opened the second half with more oomph. Just three minutes into the latter half, Ali Al Maqseed hit a goal post with a mid-range strike that caught the South Korean defense napping.

Nam tried to double South Korea’s lead with a rolling shot in the 58th minute, but then Kuwait started putting more pressure on the mediocre defense. At the hour mark, Al Maqseed danced past center back Jang Hyun-soo at the left edge of the box and floated a shot just over the crossbar. In the 61st, Abdullah Al Buraiki jumped on a loose ball with a volley that traveled wide of the right post.

The South Koreans were frequently picked off in their own zone and got flat-footed trying to contain the Kuwait attack.

Lee Keun-ho found himself all alone for a header near the penalty spot but bounced it wide of the goal in the 74th.

After a poor clearing attempt by Kuwait in the 82nd, midfielder Park Joo-ho sent a rocket from midfield, forcing Youssef to make a desperate diving save to his left.

Kuwait, which lost to Australia 4-1 in the tournament opener last Friday, didn‘t let up, though its efforts didn’t ultimately bear fruit on the scoreboard.