Son's dream of the trophy is alive. South Korea has advanced to the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup

Saudi Arabia and South Korea battled for a place in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup. The Round of 16 encounter took place in Doha.

Both teams had an evenly contested first half, as reflected in the shot statistics: 5-4 in favor of the nominal hosts.

The beginning of the second half proved fortunate for Saudi Arabia. Early in the second 45 minutes, Al-Shabab representative Abdullah Radif put his team ahead. Subsequently, the Koreans dominated possession, but for an extended period, struggled to create genuinely dangerous opportunities against the Saudi defense.

In the closing stages, the Asian Tigers besieged Al-Kassar's goal, trapping the opponent in their penalty area. However, the Saudi goalkeeper showcased his expertise several times, seemingly resurrecting dead balls. In a moment of helplessness, the crossbar came to Saudi Arabia's rescue.

Riding on such fortune, Roberto Mancini's team nearly progressed to the next round. However, Gue-sung Cho finally pierced the Saudi goalkeeper's defense in injury time, forcing the match into overtime.

In the extra periods, South Korea continued their dominance. However, they couldn't convert their advantage into a goal, leading to the resolution of the next stage through a penalty shootout.

In the post-match penalty shootout, players from the Korean national team displayed greater accuracy in their spot-kicks.

The triumphing team in today's match will face Australia in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup on February 2.

Asian Cup, Round of 16
Saudi Arabia - South Korea - 1:1 2:4 on penalties
Goals: Radif, 46 - Gue-sung Cho, 90+9