AFC Asian Cup 2015 host Australia will take on China on Thursday in the quarter-finals after the Socceroos lost 1-0 against South Korea in a hard-fought but high-quality encounter at Brisbane Stadium on Saturday and were relegated to second place in group A.
A 33rd-minute goal from Lee Jeong-hyeop was enough to settle a match in which the Socceroos were not quite up to the form they had displayed in their first two consecutive wins over Kuwait and Oman. Despite the Socceroos controlling the majority of possession, they were unable to break down a well-drilled Taeguk Warriors defense. Going into the game needing only to draw to top the group, the Australians simply could not find a way through the Korean defense and goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyeon, who pulled off several stunning saves.
The loss – Australia’s first defeat on home soil since losing to Kuwait in qualifying for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in March 2009 – means the Koreans top Group A and will play either Saudi Arabia or Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
In the other match from Group A, Oman and Kuwait played, but both were eliminated from the cup having lost their first two games. Oman finished their AFC Asian Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over their rival in Newcastle.
