South Korea coach’s red card caps off wild morning of 2022 World Cup action
South Korea coach Paolo Bento capped off a wild morning of World Cup soccer when he was sent off with a red card following the team’s 3-2, roller coaster loss to Ghana.
Bento was upset after, in the eleventh minute of stoppage time, a Korea pass was deflected out of bounds behind the goal in what he believed should have been a corner kick. However, the referee opted to blow the whistle, ending the game. Landon Donovan explained on the broadcast that it is an “unwritten rule” to allow a setpiece to occur even if the clock has run out.
With the red card, Bento will not be allowed on the sidelines for the team’s final match of the group stage against Portugal.
The moment capped off a frenetic morning of matches, which saw 11 goals between the first two games. Mohammed Kudus scored twice for Ghana, including the go-ahead goal after South Korea evened the match in the second half. Ghana staved off elimination at the World Cup with a 3-2 victory on Monday.
Mohammed Salisu also scored for the Black Stars, who lost their opening match against Portugal and were in need of points for a chance to reach the knockout round in Qatar.
Down 2-0, Cho Geu-sung scored both of South Korea’s goals about three minutes apart early in the second half to even the game at 2-2.
But Kudus’ low left-footed goal in the 68th minute sailed out of the reach of goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu to give the Black Stars back the lead. Goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi preserved the victory with a leaping save off Cho’s attempt in stoppage time.
South Korea forward Son Heung-min remained without a goal in Qatar. The Tottenham forward wore a mask to protect a broken left eye socket he sustained in a Champions League game against Marseille earlier this month.
In the early game, Cameroon staged an impressive comeback in a 3-3 draw against Serbia at the World Cup despite replacing its goalkeeper at the last minute.
Andre Onana, who plays for Italian club Inter Milan, wasn’t in Cameroon’s lineup or even at the stadium to watch the Group G match.
Coach Rigobert Song said he dropped his starting goalkeeper for “disciplinary reasons,” but didn’t give any specifics.
“In a group you need to respect the rules that apply to everybody, and I prefer to ensure that the team takes precedence over individuals,” Song said. “If you can’t fit in with what’s required to be part of a squad, then I do think that you need to step up to the plate and accept responsibility for that.”
Song replaced Onana with Devis Epassy, who made only his sixth international appearance.
“I took a risk, I realize that,” Song said. “Maybe we’re going to have to explain what happened later.”
Song said Onana hasn’t been kicked out of the squad and didn’t rule him out of Cameroon’s last group stage match against Brazil on Friday.
“For the time being I’ve asked him to wait and we’ll see if he’s going to stay with us,” Song said. “It’s up to him as well to a certain extent. He’s going to have to agree to respect the rules to perhaps come into the squad.”
– With AP
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