Belgium played with 10 men during the entire second half of their 2014 FIFA World Cup game against South Korea on Thursday in Brazil, but it certainly didn’t play like it, earning a 1-0 win and the top spot in Group H.
Belgium will face Team USA on Tuesday in the knockout round. Algeria, which drew 1-1 with Russia, could have claimed Group H and faced the Americans with a win and a Belgian loss.
South Korea played some of its best soccer all tournament, but it wasn’t enough to contain the Belgians, who earned the maximum amount of points with its third win.
The first half was rather uneventful, with both teams missing key scoring chances and ending the half tied at zero goals apiece. But things got interesting when Belgium midfielder Steven Defour was dealt a red card for a foul on South Korean forward Kim Shin-wook.
But the man-advantage didn’t help South Korea, as their attack just wasn’t good enough, and Jan Vertonghen scored for Belgium in the 77th minute. South Korea even had an 11-on-nine advantage in the final minute of stoppage time but simply couldn’t deliver.
