A member of Ghana 's coaching staff bizarrely attempted to take a selfie with a tearful Son Heung-min after his South Korea suffered a bruising defeat at the World Cup.
Mohammed Kudus inspired Ghana to a 3-2 victory in Al Rayyan, having squandered a two-goal lead due to a magnificent second-half fightback from South Korea. But Son's side were still beaten after Kudus scored for the second time in the 68th minute, leaving the Tottenham Hotspur star in tears after initially protesting at referee Anthony Taylor for not allowing him to take a late corner.
One of Ghana's backroom team had no mercy for Son, taking out his phone while his Black Stars colleagues respectfully consoled the 30-year-old forward and proceeding to snap an awkward selfie. Another of Ghana's coaching staff - which includes the legendary George Boateng - quickly told his pal to put his mobile away, allowing Son to have a moment to compose himself.
There was little time for anyone to compose themselves during the to-and-fro contest, as Ghana took a 2-0 lead into the half-time break. But two superb headers from Gue-Sung Cho within three minutes on either side of the hour mark turned the game on its head - not for long, though.
Ajax midfielder Kudus, who'd doubled Ghana's lead in the first half after Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu had opened the scoring, smashed in what proved to be the winner only seven minutes later. South Korea fought valiantly for a second successive draw in Group H but ultimately lost, leaving their finale with Portugal as their Hail Mary shot of reaching the last 16.
The Taeguk Warriors will be without their manager, Paulo Bento, on the touchline this Friday, as he was shown a red card by Taylor for his post-match protests. Assistant Sergio Costa stepped in for South Korea's media duties and made sure that Bento's sentiment wasn't lost.
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"Totally unfair," Costa fumed. "In the first half, they let a similar situation be played. The referee took that opportunity away, Paulo reacted. He said nothing that was inappropriate to the referee, but he does what he knows. I think it's a lack of fairness. I think the reaction is one of a person and group who feel lack of fairness at the end of the match.
"[Bento] is emotional and defends his own until the last. We are all able to understand his reaction. That sometimes leads to reactions that are part of what a human being is made of. It was normal of someone who did everything for the win. I believe we should feel sad, feel a lack of justice at the end, but also be proud. We gave our souls and that's something we'll try to repeat."
Asked about Son's emotional outpour, Bento's right-hand man added: "We gave our souls on the pitch. It's a normal reaction from someone who did all they could to win." Meanwhile, for Ghana, it was unbridled joy; knowing that revenge and three points against 2010 tormentors Uruguay would guarantee their place in the knockouts.
