Another day, another goalless draw at a World Cup that has seen more than its fair share of such games. Yet this one didn’t end without nearly producing some fireworks.
South Korea and Uruguay both had individual moments of attacking danger. Uruguayan center back Diego Godín, playing in his fourth World Cup, crashed a header off the inside of the post in the first half. Midfielder Federico Valverde, in the midst of a transcendent season at Real Madrid, almost sent home a rocket of an effort in the 90th minute that instead caromed off the post. South Korea, whose talisman Son Heung-min suffered an orbital fracture earlier this month and played with a protective mask, had its own wasted chances, most notably an open look at the edge of the six-yard box skied over goal by striker Hwang Ui-jo. A draw, in the end, isn’t a terrible result for either team. South Korea controlled possession and limited chances for much of the match, but Uruguay were the closest to stealing the three points. In a deep Group H, this first match means the race for the two coveted knockout stage spots is as open as ever.
Son’s status was in doubt for this opening match, but South Korea’s captain received the start. It was his first time on the pitch since Nov. 1, when he suffered the injury in the first half of a Champions League tie vs. Marseille.
A pair of corners by the South Korea star winger in the first 10 minutes yielded little in the way of scoring chances, but his side was keeping Uruguay from feeding its attacking talent. As a result, striker Luis Suárez was limited to just three touches in the opening phases.
But Uruguay worked itself into the match and created an excellent scoring chance. A ball was sent across the box, begging for a touch home, but Darwin Nuñez can’t find it. The Liverpool forward looked lively at times to start, but as has often been the case with his club, simply didn’t have the final product. He was one of just three Uruguay outfield players without a touch in the opposition box in the first half, according to Opta.
South Korea regained its composure and settled in after a period of pressure. It picked apart the Uruguay back line and a ball settled at the feet of Hwang Ui-jo just outside the six-yard box. But this time, it’s Korea’s turn to miss a big scoring opportunity as the Olympiacos striker skied it over the bar.
The biggest opportunity of the first half came with minutes remaining. Uruguay won a corner, and 36-year-old Diego Godín, his country’s most-capped player of all time, rose for a free header in the box that struck the inside of post and rolled harmlessly away. Another great chance, another miss, and this cagey tie went into the half without a goal.
South Korea began the second half much like the first: long periods of possession, some dangerous-looking attacking moves but without testing Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rochet. But the pressure caused problems. A shout for a penalty kick in the 52nd minute after a shove on a South Korea player in the box goes unanswered by referee Clement Turpin.
Uruguay was under the cosh yet again, only threatening through the counter with the pace of Nuñez. In response, it subbed on 35-year-old Edinson Cavani in the 64th minute to replace Suárez to spearhead the attack. He quickly found a sliver of space to shoot, but his attempt was blocked.
Nuñez, who mostly struggled to make his presence felt in the final third, had his best sight of goal in the 80th minute. A dangerous whipped shot from the edge of the 18-yard box strayed wide. But yet again, Uruguay maneuvered its way back into the flow of the game after falling under South Korean pressure for some time.
What was largely a stop-and-go game finished in a flurry of attempts. Federico Valverde almost capitalized on the Uruguayan pressure in stunning fashion. A powerful drive from well outside the box, something that’s become somewhat of a signature for the Real Madrid midfielder, was sent off the post with just minutes to play.
Then on the other end, Son very nearly had a special moment of his own on the counterattack. The masked man stepped onto a ball settled as his feet at the top of the box and curled his own heroic effort just wide.
Here were the lineups for both sides:
Full World Cup Squads
Uruguay
GOALKEEPERS: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Sergio Rochet (Nacional), Sebastián Sosa (Independiente)
DEFENDERS: Ronald Araujo (Barcelona), Martín Cáceres (LA Galaxy), Sebastián Coates (Sporting CP), José Giménez (Atlético Madrid), Diego Godín (Velez Sarsfield), Mathías Olivera (Napoli), José Luis Rodriguez (Nacional), Guillermo Varela (Flamengo), Matías Viña (Roma)
MIDFIELDERS: Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo), Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham), Nicolás de la Cruz (River Plate), Lucas Torreira (Galatasaray), Manuel Ugarte (Sporting CP), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Matías Vecino (Lazio)
FORWARDS: Agustín Cannobio (Athletico Paranaense), Edinson Cavani (Valencia), Maxi Gómez (Trabzonspor), Darwin Núñez (Liverpool), Facundo Pellistri (Manchester United), Luis Suárez (Nacional), Facundo Torres (Orlando City)
COACH: Diego Alonso
South Korea
GOALKEEPERS: Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Seung-gyu (Al Shabab), Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk Motors)
DEFENDERS: Cho Yu-min (Daejon Citizen), Hong Chul (Daegu FC), Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk Motors), Kim Min-jae (Napoli), Kim Moon-hwan (Jeonbuk Motors), Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan Hyundai), Kwon Kyung-won (Gamba Osaka), Yoon Jong-gyu (FC Seoul)
MIDFIELDERS: Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos), Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd), Kwon Chang-hoon (Gimcheon Sangmu), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Lee Kang-in (Mallorca), Paik Seung-ho (Jeonbuk Motors), Son Jun-ho (Shandong Taishan)
FORWARDS: Cho Gue-sung (Jeonbuk Motors), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Hwang Ui-jo (Olympiacos), Jeong Woo-yeong (Freiburg), Na Sang-ho (FC Seoul), Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Song Min-kyu (Jeonbuk Motors)
