(Reuters) – Hwang Hee-chan’s first-half strike and a late free kick by Son Heung-min earned South Korea a 2-0 win over 10-man Chile on Monday as Paulo Bento’s World Cup-bound side bounced back from last week’s thrashing by Brazil.
The Koreans, who are heading for a 10th consecutive World Cup finals in November, were given a punishing 5-1 beating by the Brazilians on Thursday but dominated for much of the game against the Chileans at Daegu World Cup Stadium.
Hwang gave Korea the perfect start when he latched on to Jeong Woo-yeong’s pass before smashing his shot into the top corner with the Chilean defence back-pedalling.
Alex Ibacache’s sending-off seven minutes into the second half for a second bookable offence further enhanced Korea’s hold on the game.
Despite their numeric advantage, the home side initially looked unlikely to add to their lead, with Son hitting the side-netting 20 minutes from time.
But the Tottenham Hotspur striker stepped up to curl a 91st-minute free kick around the defensive wall and past goalkeeper Fernando de Paul from 20 yards to celebrate his 100th appearance for his country in style.
(Reporting by Michael Church in Hong Kong, Editing by Clare Fallon)
