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In the last matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup group stage, Belgium defeats South Korea with 10 men and Algeria secures a draw with Russians to advance.
Belgium-South Korea
Belgium survived, despite going down to 10 men in the 45th minute, and defeated South Korea 1-0 to clinch first place in Group H and set up a showdown with the United States in the knockout round. Belgium trotted out a much different lineup for this match, as they had the luxury of resting key players such as Eden Hazard (save for a token appearance in the 88th minute), Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, and captain Vincent Kompany - reason being that they only needed a draw to clinch first place.
Despite the JV lineup, the Belgians came out aggressive and constantly threatened the South Korean goal. Kevin Mirallas started up front for the Red Devils and came out with high energy, making numerous runs on goal and consistently looking a threat to score. Additionally, Dries Mertens had a clear-cut shot at goal in the 25th minute when the ball fell to his feet right in front of the goal. Mertens leaned too far back, however, and skied the ball over the goal, wasting the chance.
South Korea did have a faint chance of advancing, and put its hopes on forward Kim-Shin Wook, the 6'5 forward affectionately known as "the Wookie" by South Korean fans. They also made a change in goal, as Kim Seung-gyu got his first start of the World Cup, replacing Jung Sung-Ryong following the latter's uneven performance against Algeria. Unfortunately for the South Koreans, neither man was able to provide the difference in the match.
The South Koreans had high expectations for Kim-Shin Wook, but "The Wookie" was unable to deliver against the Belgians. (Photo: @iFutbola | Twitter)
The match took an interesting turn in the 45th minute when Belgium's Steven Defour was shown a red card following a two-footed challenge, forcing the Red Devils to play the remainder of the match with 10 men. Despite playing one man up, the South Koreans could not take advantage and repeatedly missed chances in front of the goal throughout the second half, including nearly scoring on a misplaced cross in the 59th minute.
Eventually the Red Devils broke through in the 78th minute when defender Jan Vertonghen knocked home a rebound after Seung-gyu was unable to parry the initial shot to safety, securing the victory for the Belgians.
Belgium won all three of its Group H matches, while South Korea finished last in the group, securing only a single point.
Russia-Algeria
Algeria rallied from a goal down in the second half to secure the draw it needed to clinch second place in Group H and advance to the knockout round. Russia needed a win in order to have any chance at advancing, and manager Fabio Capello's troops came out aggressive from the start of the match. Their aggression was rewarded in the 6th minute when Aleksandr Kokorin headed home a super cross into the corner of the goal, which Algerian keeper Adi Mbolhi had no chance of saving.
At that stage of the match, the Russians were pegged to go through, forcing the Algerians to go on the attack. It took until the second half, but, in the 60th minute, Islam Slimani equalized on a header following a corner kick. Notably, there was a laser pointer aimed at Russian keeperprior to the taking of the kick. It is unclear whether or how much the laser pointer distracted Akinfeev during the kick, but he made a critical error in going for the ball on the cross that he could not reach. That gave Slimani the opportunity and he won the ball in the air and slotted it home. The good news for Russian fans is that it wasn't his most egregious error of the tournament. The Algerian fans went crazy and set off flares in the stands.
A laser pointer wasn't the only thing dogging Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev during this match. (Photo: @LBSports | Twitter)
Despite intense pressure from the Russians at the end of the match, the Algerians held on and secured the draw they needed to advance to the next round, where they will play Germany.
Algeria plays Germany on Monday June 30, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN.
Belgium plays the U.S. on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. also on ESPN.
