The friendly preparation match for the World Cup ended 2-2 in the South Korean city of Goyang
South Korea and Costa Rica drew 2-2 on Thursday in a friendly match played in Asian territory, where Tottenham player Son Heung-min saved the draw with a great free-kick goal.
The goals of the match, played at the Goyang Stadium in South Korea, were scored by Hwang Heechan (in the 28th minute) and Son Heung-min (85) for the home team, and by Jewison Bennette (41 and 64).
The match served as a test for both teams ahead of their participation in the Qatar World Cup, where Costa Rica, in Group E, will face Spain, Japan and Germany, while South Korea, in Group H, will face Portugal, Ghana and Uruguay.
In the match, the South Koreans had the speed and dominance, but the effectiveness was with the Central Americans, who managed to take the lead in the score until Son, in the play that led to Alvarado's expulsion, scored a direct free-kick that went into the top corner.
Costa Rica played the last few minutes with one less player due to the expulsion of goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado, who received a direct red card in the 81st minute for handling the ball outside the area.
The Central American team will now play their final friendly match before the World Cup on the 27th against Uzbekistan.
Meanwhile, on the same date, the South Korean team will face Cameroon, in respective matches to be played in South Korea.
In the first half, the Asians had control of the match, with strong pressure, ball possession, and fast attacks, with Son trying to break his scoring drought with the national team.
The Tottenham forward constantly sought the ball and did not hide, against a rival with difficulties to get out of the defensive zone due to the pressure from South Korea.
As a result of that overwhelming dominance, Hwang Heechan scored the first goal of the night with a powerful shot from outside the area, after a quick play from the right flank.
Jewison Bennette is becoming a star
As the minutes went by, Costa Rica started to loosen up and managed to equalize the match, showing the effectiveness they demonstrated during the past qualifying phase for the World Cup.
Suárez's team showed that with a well-organized team on the field, defensive security, and fast counterattacks, they can also win matches.
Bennette, a young player who is on his way to becoming a star, was in charge of materializing this idea when, in the 41st minute, he took advantage of a defensive indecision to score a sneaky goal by finishing on the far post from a cross from the right flank.
The Costa Rican, current Sunderland player, was again protagonist in the second half by taking advantage of a goalkeeper's rebound in the 64th minute to put his team ahead.
Son to the rescue
However, in the 81st minute, the Costa Rican goalkeeper was sent off for handling the ball outside the area while an opponent was attacking alone.
Son scored the direct free-kick, under the watchful eyes of goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira, who hadn't even had time to dirty his gloves yet.
With his goal, with a shot that went into the top corner, Son demonstrated the goal-scoring instinct that made him the top scorer, alongside Liverpool's Egyptian player Mo Salah, in the last edition of the Premier League.
In addition, he proved the words of coach Paulo Bento, who had reiterated in recent days that he maintained complete confidence in the striker, a key piece for the Tigers of Asia in the Qatar World Cup. AFP