Russia and South Korea Play to 1-1 Draw After Keeper's Blunder

The match was lifted from its torpor by the goal after a chess-like first half of ebb and flow in which young South Korea striker Son Heung-min put two chances well over the bar. In the 10th minute, Yoon Suk-young hit a long high ball down the left wing and Koo Ja-cheol headed it into the middle where Son took off on a fast diagonal run into the right side of the box where he shot too high. The 21-year-old striker, a thorn in the Russian defense and voted man-of-the-match, had another chance in the 39th minute when he found space in the middle but his effort from the edge of the box again sailed high over the bar. Capello said his players took time to get into the match. "At the beginning, our players were so nervous, I don't think they were as smooth as they normally are. After the goal we suffered, they reacted," he said. Russia tried to stretch the Korean defense through Yury Zhirkov on the left wing and Alexander Samedov on the right. Samedov found the angle too tight in the 20th minute and shot wide but on the half-hour when he was fouled 25 meters out by Ki Sung-yueng, who was booked, keeper Jung managed to beat away centre back Sergey Ignashevich's powerful free kick. South Korea captain Koo had a shot deflected just wide of the post off the leg of his opposite number Vasili Berezutskiy for a corner in the closing minutes of the first half. The goalkeepers were called more into action in the second period, Jung having to tip a Victor Faizulin shot over the bar almost from the restart. At the other end, the experienced Akinfeyev was equal to everything the Koreans threw at him, notably a bullet of a free kick from central defender Kim Young-gwon, but he fumbled the apparently easier shot he had to take from Lee. Both sides, who at this stage look set to fight over second place, went all out for a win in the dying stages with Samedov ballooning a Russian chance high into the air after the ball had crossed the Korean box. South Korea and Russia played a tepid 1-1 tie in Group H in Cuiaba on Tuesday night. The result left the teams with a point apiece in the standings. It was a competitive but largely scrappy affair. After a dismal first half, the game came to life in the second half when the substitute Lee Keun Ho’s speculative 35-yard shot was mishandled by Russian keeper Igor Akinfeev in the 68th minute. The ball spilled out of Akinfeev’s hands, over his shoulder and into the net. Korea’s advantage and Akinfeev’s distress were short-lived; the Russian substitute Alan Dzagoev fired home from close range in the 74th minute after a goalmouth scramble. Russia next plays the group leader Belgium on Sunday in Rio De Janeiro. South Korea will also play on Sunday, taking on Algeria in Porto Alegre.

Alexander Kerzhakov scored with one of his first touches after coming on as a substitute to give Russia a 1-1 draw with South Korea in a match in Group H in Cuitabá, Brazil, on Tuesday that was marked by a huge goalkeeping error. Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev spilled Lee Keun-ho’s shot into his own net to give South Korea the lead in the 68th minute at the Arena Pantanal. But Kerzhakov bailed out his teammate, turning in a shot from close range in the 74th minute three minutes after entering the game as a substitute to rescue a point for Russia in a poor-quality match. Akinfeev stayed on the ground inside his own net, head in his hands, after making his blunder, clearly embarrassed after dropping what was a routine save from a shot from about 30 yards. He was consoled by a couple of teammates, who patted him on the back, but could soon join in the celebrations when Kerzhakov equalized. Continue reading the main story Related Coverage. The explosive six-minute spell that featured both goals was not in keeping with the rest of a mundane game characterized by slow build-up play, poor passing and wayward finishing. Continue reading the main story 2014 World Cup Having lost four of its last five games heading to Brazil, the South Koreans came into their eighth straight World Cup with concerns over their flimsy defense and a lack of goal threat. A 4-0 thrashing by Ghana in a warm-up in Miami last week highlighted those deficiencies. Defensively, they were not terrible, but there was no hiding their toothless attack going forward, with the experienced Park Chu-young starting as the lone striker but justifying fears that he has lost his edge after three ineffective years with Arsenal in England’s Premier League. He was substituted in the 56th.

Then Son, who found the net 11 times for Leverkusen last season, had a real chance in front of goal but his shot sailed exuberantly over Akinfeev's crossbar. The Koreans had the upper hand as the tepid first half drew to a close, their midfield putting together some neat moves, with Han Kook-Young and Sunderland's Ki Sung-Yeung proving a handful. If Russia were to give coach Capello something to celebrate on his 68th birthday at midnight, they'd have to up their game. And they came out fighting with two quick chances from Victor Fayzulin and skipper Vasily Berezutski. Down at the other end, Akinfeev did well to deny Koo's potent drive. In a bid to shake things up Korean coach Hong Myung-Bo, captain of the side that finished fourth at the 2002 World Cup, introduced prolific striker Lee for Park, and it proved a useful switch. On 68 minutes, Lee broke the deadlock in style, charging towards the Russian box, rounding a defender to shoot right-footed. Akinfeev looked devastated after at first seeming to halt the ball but then watching in horror as it went over his head. Russia pulled back level when Kerzhakov, after coming on for Yuri Zhirkov, pounced on the ball after a goalmouth scramble to shoot home from close range. Russia experienced despair then joy as Alexander Kerzhakov's stabbed equalizer made amends for goalkeeper Igor Akinfeyev's terrible blunder in an untidy 1-1 draw with South Korea at the World Cup. The result left the teams in joint second place in Group H after the first round of matches behind leaders Belgium, who earlier came from behind to win 2-1 against Algeria in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Kerzhakov, the sole surviving member of Russia's last World Cup team at the 2002 finals in Asia, scored in the 74th minute of Tuesday's game, three minutes after coming on, to notch his 26th international goal. The 31-year-old swiveled and struck a shot from inside the six-yard box after fellow substitute Alan Dzagoyev's effort was parried by goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong.