Soccer: South Korean sub reaps home glory

8.55pm

TAEGU - Substitute Ahn Jung-hwan headed an equaliser 11 minutes from fulltime as World Cup co-hosts South Korea, who missed a first-half penalty, came from behind to draw 1-1 with the United States tonight.

Ahn, a second-half replacement for Hwang Sung-hong, glanced home a free kick from Lee Eul-yong to send the South Korean fans into a frenzy and Choi Yong-Soo missed a glorious chance to win the match in the 90th minute.

South Korea lead group D on goal difference from the United States with both on four points. The other group teams, Poland and Portugal, are meeting later tonight, and both had yet to register a point going into the game.

The enthusiastic home fans had earlier been silenced by a 24th-minute goal from Clint Mathis, especially as they were hoping to maintain the momentum of their opening win over Poland.

Mathis, the striker with the Mohican hairstyle who missed almost the entire season last year with a knee injury and sat out the game against Portugal, fired the US into the lead against the run of play with a well-struck low drive from John O'Brien's pass.

Unfortunately for the South Koreans, US goalkeeper Brad Friedel was in brilliant form.

He made a series of superb saves, including Lee Eul-Yong's 40th-minute penalty to almost single-handedly deny Guus Hiddink's side until Ahn's intervention.

Again roared on by their raucous support, South Korea wasted a great chance to level just before the break when Friedel brilliantly saved Lee Eul-Yong's penalty, awarded by referee Urs Meier for Jeff Agoos' push on Hwang Sun-hong.

Friedel dived to his right to block and Kim Nam-il put his follow-up wide. It was the first of 11 penalties to be missed at this World Cup.

The US had weathered a strong start from South Korea, who went close to taking an early lead in the sixth minute.

Park Ji-sung dispossessed Frankie Hejduk on the right. He fed the ball inside to Hwang who sent over a teasing cross, but Seol Ki-hyeon volleyed high and wide from just 6m out.

Seol found himself in open space again 12 minutes later running on to Yoo Sang-chui's ball forward, but this time the Anderlecht striker shot weakly at Friedel from a tight angle and the goalkeeper was able to block with his legs.

Friedel again rescued to his side two minutes after the break, denying Seol with another smart block low-down, then beating away Choi Yong-soo's shot from the left.

The US resistance was finally broken on 78 minutes when Ahn rose above the US defence to glance home a cushioned header.

* England captain David Beckham said his side would treat Nigeria like world champions when the two teams met in their group F game tomorrow night.

Beckham said England were still on a high after beating Argentina 1-0 last Friday, but would not underestimate a Nigerian side already assured of a first-round exit.

"To beat one of the best teams in the world and to play well against some of the best players in the world gives us a massive confidence boost going into the third game," Beckham said.

But with a place in the second round beckoning if England could at least draw, Beckham said it was crucial England did not let up.

"This one is just as important, if not more important than the Argentina game, because if we slip up now it would be absolutely ridiculous.

"We've got to go into this game as if we're playing the world champions."

Asked whether he believed England could win the World Cup, he said: "I said before the competition that going into any competition you've got to believe you can do well and go all the way.

"We're not getting carried away with ourselves. We have beaten one of the best teams in the competition, but there are still a lot of big games coming up."

- REUTERS

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