A thrilling World Cup game between South Korea and Ghana ended in remarkable scenes as the South Korean coach was red carded by the referee after angrily confronting him at the full-time whistle.
In a breathless encounter at the Education Stadium in Al-Rayyan, Ghana raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half through goals from Mohammed Salisu and Mohammed Kudus, before South Korea staged a second-half fightback with Cho Gue-sung netting two goals in the space of three minutes to level the scores.
Kudus restored the Black Stars' lead with 20 minutes left, but the South Koreans refused to throw in the towel and desperately looked for the equaliser that would keep them in the fight to qualify for the knockout rounds.
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With 10 minutes of injury time added on at the end of the second half, South Korea stepped up their attacking game, with captain and Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-Min having two good chances to level the scores again. However, Son and his teammates were left frustrated by the Ghanaian defence, with the African side's third-choice keeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi denying them at every opportunity.
However, there was to be more frustration as the game reached the 101st minute and a desperate long range South Korean effort deflected off a Ghanaian player and went behind for a corner. Ghana had been looking for English referee Anthony Taylor to blow the final whistle in the moments before that passage of play, with the 10 minutes of added time already played, but the Koreans thought they would have one last roll of the dice as play seemingly continued.
However, Taylor blew the whistle before they had the chance to take the corner, sparking wild celebrations among the Ghana squad while the Korean players angrily surrounded the Premier League referee to protest, struggling to understand why they would not be allowed to take the corner before the game ended.
South Korea boss Paulo Bento also stormed onto the pitch to berate Taylor for his decision and was promptly shown a straight red card for his outburst. However, he stayed on the pitch for some time, continuing to vent his frustration at the official.
His side now face an uphill battle to qualify for the round of 16, having taken just one point from their first two matches, drawing 0-0 with Uruguay in their opening fixture, with Euro 2016 champions Portugal still to face.
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