Korea exit World Cup after tough loss to favorites Brazil
![Son Heung-min takes a corner during a round of 16 match between Brazil and Korea at the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar on Monday. [XINHUA/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2022/12/06/910e18b1-374f-4e7f-bb6d-4b2d53bb7062.jpg)
Son Heung-min takes a corner during a round of 16 match between Brazil and Korea at the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar on Monday. [XINHUA/YONHAP]
Korea crashed out of the 2022 Qatar World Cup on Monday, losing 4-1 to Brazil in a tough round of 16 clash against the No. 1 team in the world.
The Taeguk Warriors were on the back foot from the start, conceding an early goal to Vini Jr. in the seventh minute.
Once the floodgates opened, Brazil quickly hammered in three more, with Jung Woo-young giving away a penalty that Neymar scored in the 13th minute, Richarlison scoring in the 29th and Lucas Paquetá adding No. 4 in the 36th minute.
Defense appeared to be a problem throughout the first half. The back line of Kim Jin-su, Kim Young-gwon, Kim Min-jae and Kim Moon-hwan often seemed to be pulled out of position, resorting to man-marking rather than presenting a united defense against one of the best attacking lines in the world.
![Neymar, right, dribbles the ball against the Korean defense on Monday during a round of 16 match between Korea and Brazil at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2022/12/06/aec2de2b-361e-44a1-8f86-2c2b9cb4c95f.jpg)
Neymar, right, dribbles the ball against the Korean defense on Monday during a round of 16 match between Korea and Brazil at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar. [NEWS1]
![Richarlison, right, vies with Son Heung-min during a round of 16 match at the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar on Monday. [XINHUA/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2022/12/06/50c4fa23-1a3c-42a2-aed8-a1e067358a6a.jpg)
Richarlison, right, vies with Son Heung-min during a round of 16 match at the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar on Monday. [XINHUA/YONHAP]
Richarlison and Paquetá’s goals in particular were the result of Korea’s defense being picked to pieces and exploited with clinical strikes. As Brazil continued to pile on the pressure, Korea took an increasingly defensive stance but proved unable to stop the South American onslaught.
Things changed at the break, with Korea returning at the top of the second half looking far more confident. The Taeguk Warriors held their own until the final whistle, stopping Brazil from adding any more to the scoreline but the damage was already well and truly done.
Paik Seung-ho, who came on as a substitute in the second half, provided the only consolation for Korea, hammering in a beautiful shot from outside the box, threading the gap between four defenders to allow the Taeguk Warriors to avoid being blanked.
Brazil’s Alisson stopped Korea from scoring any more, holding off some phenomenal efforts from the Taeguk Warriors, including a fantastic strike from Hwang Hee-chan at the end of the first half.
With the loss, Korea’s 2022 Qatar World Cup ends in the first round of the knockout stage. Brazil advance to the quarterfinals where they will face Croatia.
Despite the early exit, Korea can leave Qatar with their heads held high, defying the odds to emerge out of a tough group to reach the round of 16.
The team struggled with injuries since the tournament began but still managed to surpass expectations, drawing with Uruguay and beating football giants Portugal to qualify for the knockout stage.
Captain Son Heung-min overcame an orbital fracture and recent surgery to play every game while wearing a protective mask, with regular goal-scoring partner Hwang Hee-chan coming back from a hamstring injury to score the deciding goal against Portugal.
Veteran defenders Kim Min-jae and Kim Jin-su have both been struggling with injuries but pulled through when needed to keep Korea strong at the back.
![Brazil's Bremer, from left, Korea's Cho Gue-sung and Brazil's Marquinhos challenge for the ball during a round of 16 match between Brazil and Korea, at the Stadium 974, in Doha, Qatar on Monday. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2022/12/06/ed954829-ae95-410c-a8cb-fed41c8ad390.jpg)
Brazil's Bremer, from left, Korea's Cho Gue-sung and Brazil's Marquinhos challenge for the ball during a round of 16 match between Brazil and Korea, at the Stadium 974, in Doha, Qatar on Monday. [AP/YONHAP]
The emergence of rising stars Cho Gue-sung, Lee Kang-in and Paik Seung-ho on the international stage offered a glimpse of a bright future for the Korean team, with the younger players providing some crucial offense, even as their older counterparts struggled to get into the game.
For head coach Paulo Bento, the round of 16 finish marks the end of his career in Korea. Bento announced after the Brazil game that he will be stepping down from his role as head coach.
Monday’s loss may be a difficult pill to swallow for the Taeguk Warriors, but the players can leave Qatar feeling proud of what they achieved. They put up a good fight throughout the group stage and scored some impressive goals.
That they crashed out after washing up against the immovable rock that is tournament favorites Brazil is literally just the luck of the draw.
BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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