Hosts South Korea overcame North Korea 1-0 with virtually the last kick of extra time to win a cliff-hanging Asian Games men's football final on Thursday. Defender Rim Chang-Woo smashed home a last-gasp winner from close range to deliver the knockout blow in an emotionally charged final, giving South Korea their fourth title and a first since 1986.
When the final whistle blew a matter of seconds later, the crowd of 47,000 rain-soaked fans erupted with joy as both sets of players slumped to the turf sobbing, having battled each other to a standstill. "I'm very proud of my players for winning the gold medal for the first time in 28 years," South Korea coach Lee Kwang-Jong told reporters after his players had completed a jubilant lap of honour draped in national flags. "It was a tough game but they were terrific."
Sitting alongside him an awkward distance away, North Korea coach Yun Jong-Su raged about the officiating, insisting there had had been a foul before the winning goal. "The referee's assistant raised his flag, then put it down," he fumed. "Our players saw the flag go up and stopped but then play continued and they scored. The officials should be fair but the referee did not want to blow his whistle for us at all." As a reward for their dramatic and symbolic victory in Incheon, South Korea's players will be excused their two years of mandatory military service.
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