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There were dramatic scenes in Group H where a late goal from substitute Hwang Hee Chan secured a 2-1 win for South Korea in Al Rayyan to send Paulo Bento's men through ahead of Uruguay. La Celeste beat Ghana 2-0 at Al Janoub Stadium, but it was not enough by a solitary goal.

Korean captain Heung Min Son who has played with a face mask all tournament assisted the decisive goal in the first minute of added time at the end of an even game. Hwang Hee Chan, who was only featuring for the first time because of a hamstring injury, was the hero at the death in what attacker Cho Gue Sung said post-match "really feels like a miracle."

It was a fast start at Education City Stadium with Portugal's Ricardo Horta finishing inside of five minutes after Diogo Dalot burst forward to put the ball in. If South Korea's task was not already mountainous, it got bigger falling behind so early on.

The Taekgeuk Warriors thought that they had equalized minutes later when Son Heung Min put the ball in the back of the net. However, the effort was disallowed for an offside and the Portuguese remained ahead.

It took until just before the half hour mark for the Koreans to get themselves back into the game with Kim Young-Gwon firing in from a corner to give Paulo Bento's side hope. The Portuguese tactician was watching from the stands due to his suspension and the crowd responded to the goal.

Young-Gwon's effort made him the second-oldest scorer of a World Cup goal for South Korea at 32 years of age. Kim Seung-Gyu quickly had to be alert to deny Cristiano Ronaldo at the other end moments later with the Portugal captain flagged offside.

The encounter was largely playing out without influence from either talisman, though, with Ronaldo and Son both peripheral figures. That was particularly clear in the first half as the Tottenham Hotspur man got more involved in the second as he tried to drive his nation forward.

Ronaldo also had a half chance which he was unable to take as neither side totally went for it in the opening 20 minutes or so of the second half. The Portuguese skipper then made way after 65 minutes and was not thrilled with Fernando Santos' decision.

Despite their need for at least one goal, it still took Korea a while to get going and semi-fit Hwang Hee-Chan was thrown on in the search for a goal. However, it was still level going into the final 10 minutes with the Asian side flagging and Hwang Ui-Jo was also added to the mix.

It was Hwang Hee Chan who would ultimately prove to be the winner, though, as he ran on to Son Heung-Min's forward pass to slot home to the jubilation of the Korean fans behind the goal. Uruguay, unable to find a third goal, agonizingly found out their fate as the minutes ticked down.

"We never gave up," said a tearful Son after the game. "Our players were trying to run an extra step more, sacrificing themselves, and that allowed us to achieve a good result. What we achieved here is special, and I am so proud of our players. Making the last 16 was our goal. We did our best every game, but you just cannot predict what happens in football."

South Korea now face Brazil in the Round of 16 at Stadium 974 in Doha on Monday.