Goalkeeper Adb Albasit Al Sarut and Lee Jong-ho in an aerial duel during Syria's Group B clash with Korea Republic. TASHKENT – Korea Republic secured top spot in Group B at the AFC U-16 Championship as a late equaliser by Rim Chang-woo earned them a 1-1 draw against Syria at Pakhtakor Stadium on Wednesday.
After a scoreless first half, Mohammad Ali put the Syrians ahead in the 63rd minute only to see his goal cancelled out when Rim headed home the equaliser with 10 minutes remaining.
The two teams finished the group stage tied on seven points but the vastly superior goal difference of the Koreans meant that they topped their group, setting up a quarter-final meeting with Group A runners-up and hosts Uzbekistan.
The Syrians will face Group A winners Iran in another quarter-final on Sunday.
Syria went on the offensive at the start and created their first chance after only five minutes when Mahmoud Al Maowas’s shot from outside the area went directly at the goalkeeper.
But the Koreans began to assert themselves and had their first chance in the 15th minute when Kim Dong-jin’s cross from the left was headed wide by Lee Jong-ho.
In the 25 minute, the Syrian defence failed to clear a cross from the right by Kim Jin-su which left Son Heung-Min with only the goalkeeper to beat only for the Korean player to shoot straight at Abd Albasit Al Sarut.
Al Sarut continued his heroics three minutes before half-time when he leapt to his right to stop Kim Jin-su’s powerful free-kick.
On the stroke of half-time, Mohammed Radwan Kalaa-jei’s free-kick from the left was cleared by the Korean defence and Nasouh Nkd Hle headed the ball back towards goal, where Kwon Tae-ahn dropped the ball before re-gathering in on the goal-line.
Syria nearly made the breakthrough seven minutes into the second half when Nasouh Nkd Hle found himself with only Kwon to beat but failed to bring the ball under control.
Ahmad Al Kador shot over shortly afterwards but the Syrians finally took the deserved lead three minutes after the hour when Kalaa-jei’s corner from right was turned into the net by Mohammad Ali’s powerful header.
Korea twice hit the woodwork with Nam Seung-woo’s powerful shot in the 72nd minute hitting the right post while Lee Jong-ho also saw his effort hit the frame of the goal three minutes later.
But the Koreans would not be denied in the 80th minute when Kim Jin-su’s long range free-kick was headed home by Rim.
Source:The AFC.com
