Australia, South Korea into Asian Cup semifinals

Posted Sunday, January 23, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

DOHA, Qatar (AP)—Australia beat defending champions Iraq to reach the Asian Cup semifinals Saturday for the first time while South Korea downed Iran to move one step closer to its third title.

Both matches were tense encounters that were decided in extra time. Australia avenged a loss to Iraq in the 2007 group stage when Harry Kewell headed in the winner with three minutes to go in extra time.

South Korea also kept its fans waiting, with substitute midfielder Yoon Bit-garam scoring with a left-foot drive from just outside the area in the 105th minute.

Australia now plays Uzbekistan Tuesday while South Korea faces archrival Japan.

Australia and Iraq appeared to be heading for penalties when Matt McKay’s cross found a streaking Harry Kewell, who headed it past Iraq goalkeeper Mohammed Kassid in the 117th minute. Kewell, who plays for Galatasaray in Turkey, stripped off his jersey and swung it around in celebration after scoring his 15th international goal and second of the tournament.

“I am very pleased and happy with the team’s performance today. We managed to qualify for the semifinals which is definitely a great achievement,” Australia coach Holger Osieck said. “Looking at the game itself, although it went to extra time, in 90 minutes we played solidly in defense … and created a lot of good chances. If I’m not mistaken, the Iraqis only had one great opportunity and the rest came from half chances. We should have done our job in 90 minutes.”

Iraq coach Wolfgang Sidka disagreed, saying the Iranians had the better opportunities in extra time and were competitive throughout the match.

“You know, it was a very exciting match for both sides,” he said. “It was up and down. You saw everything in this game. We always played in front and tried to create chances especially in extra time, in the last 30 minutes. In the end, it was one cross and one header.”

In a tight first half, Osieck’s plan of subduing Iraq playmaker Nashat Akram paid off, while Sidka’s side restricted Australia to half-chances.

The game opened up after the break.

Mohammed missed what would turn out to be Iraq’s best chance after he was played in by Younus Mahmood, and that scare appeared to spark Australia into life as first Kewell volleyed wide, then Mile Jedinak, scorer in the last two games, put a long-range effort too close to the ‘keeper.

From a corner in the 65th, Tim Cahill headed back across goal, only for Sasa Ognenovski to nod into Kassid’s arms from a few yards out. Five minutes later, Iraq defender Ali Erhaima headed onto the roof of his own net after Cahill had won yet another header.

With nine minutes remaining, Kassid reacted quickly to tip over Brett Holman’s deflected 25-yard shot, but Australia had to hang on for the final moments as Iraq, backed by an increasingly vocal support, pushed for a late winner.

Cahill failed to make it into extra time, his hardworking shift ending in the 90th minute, but Australia continued to create the better chances and Ognenovski connected beautifully with an overhead kick, only for teammate Jedinak to accidentally head it over bar.

Kewell, though, had the final say, finding space in between two defenders to power home his header and finally lift the tension hovering over Australia.

“It was important to get the goal, didn’t really want to go into a shootout,” Kewell said. “(It’s a) massive relief. There are no easy games in Asia. We worked hard as a team and I was proud of every one of them.”

Iraqi defender Basem Abbas, who was closest to Kewel, admitted allowing that last-gasp winner was hard to accept and he apologized to the team’s fans “for not keeping the cup in Iraq.”

“It is really painful,” Abbas said. “We played a great maatch and suddenly they scored. It is not anyone’s mistake. But I think we could have scored earlier. We had a lot of chances.”

In the late game, three-time Asian Cup champions Iran seemed to have the edge going into extra time. But it was the South Koreans—who had appeared exhausted late in the second half—who dug deep and started attacking the Iranian net.

The breakthrough came in the 105th minute when the unheralded Yoon, who plays for Korean side Gyeongju, received the ball from midfielder Lee Chung-yong. He shifted to his left past two defenders and then drilled a shot from the edge of the penalty box for the winner.

In the second period of extra time, Iran tried desperately to find space but South Korea crowded its defense and hung on to win. The closest Iran came to tying the match was a shot from Masoud Shoajei with six minutes left in extra time that hit the top of the net.

After winning the first two editions of the continental tournament, South Korea was runner-up three times and finished third another three times, but has not won the title since 1960.

“The cooperation and the willingness of my players to sacrifice for each other were the key factors of our victory,” South Korea coach Cho Kwang-rae said. “Iran has been beyond the level of Asian football, they are close to European level. The main reason we won the match is that we controlled the midfield and didn’t let them play their game.”

Iran coach Afshin Ghotbi said his players had plenty to be proud of despite being eliminated.

“What we achieved with this team, if you look at it from a helicopter view and without emotion, they really achieved greatness,” he said. “They beat Iraq, the defending champion, North Korea, who were at the World Cup and the United Arab Emirates with almost a different team. And today they took the South Koreans to the limits.”

After a lackluster first half, South Korea finally found the target when Ji Dong-won rose to meet a high cross from Du Ri-cha, but goalkeeper Mahdi Rahmati caught the ball without problems.

Iran began getting into the match more after an hour and a huge melee in front of the South Korean goal produced no score as Mohammad Reza Khalatbari was thwarted several times.

Iran defender Ehsan Haji Safi nearly broke the deadlock in the 71st, but drove his shot just wide. Then another defender, Hadi Aghili, connected with a header that also went wide.

Javad Nekonam’s free kick from 18 meters (yards) sailed wide as Iran began to threaten late in the match but it was the South Koreans who had the better chances in extra time.

Haji Safi made a sliding tackle to deny Park a shot early in extra time before Yoon scored the winner.