Commentary
- 45half timeHALF TIME; AUSTRALIA 1, SOUTH KOREA 0 - That's it for the first stanza at Stadium Australia and we are in for one mammoth second half as Australia, after being outplayed for the majority of the half by a compact yet robust South Korea, open the scoring against the run of play with a cracking volley from Luongo. Australia can sense victory but you can be assured that South Korea will threaten yet again in the second..
- 42goalGOAL AUSTRALIA; AUSTRALIA 1, SOUTH KOREA 0 - The breakthrough comes and it's Australia, against the run of play who snare it, as Sainsbury slides through an inch-perfect through ball which splits two defenders before finding Luongo who glides in, closes to within 10 yards of home and unleashes with a rocket of a drive into the bottom right corner. Advantage Australia.
- 39yellow cardYELLOW CARD - Davidson now heads into the book for what looks a pretty questionable shirt-pull just outside the box on Jeong-hyeop; Davidson is livid with the decision but it's made and too late to retract the decision. The resulant free kick is sent straight to Ryan; Socceroos survive.
- 37commentCHANCE - Australia rocking at the back as South Korea storm down their right before a low delivery finds Heung-min who volleys first time and only misses opening the scoring as Luongo's sliding tackle manages to deflect the ball out of play. Socceroos are struggling.
- 35commentCHANCE - Incredible counter from South Korea as Du-ri dallies down the left before the ball is sent looping to the middle of the box where Heung-min throws his frame around the ball to send an aerial effort just wide of the near post from six yards out. Spectacular movement.
- 33commentFranjic walks the tightrope as sitting on a yellow card he charges in solidly from the side on Tae-hee to take the South Korean playmaker out of play and over the sideline. Tae-hee bounces up to his feet after the challenge but Referee Faghani is very interested in it. Nothing comes of it.
- 30commentAustralia up in arms as Leckie is clearly impeded with a run down the left which would have seen him first to the ball to set up a counter attack before Sung-yeung gets there first. Jedinak enquires politely about a foul but Referee Faghani wants nothing of it. Interesting.
- 27commentSocceroos again looking for Franjic down the right but on this occasion his cross into the area which searches for Cahill is cut out expertly well by Hyun-soo; South Korea still continue to be compact in defence. Little wonder why they haven't conceded a goal in this tournament.
- 24commentCHANCE - It's now the Socceroos turn to have a crack as Kruse releases Cahill beautifully on the counter before the latter turns on his opponent from eight yards out and volleys and effort on-target which is tipped clear of danger by Jin-hyeon. Superb goal-keeping from the South Korean.
- 21commentCHANCE - South Korea waste a gilt-edged opportunity as their free kick is swept into the box from the left and presents Tae-hwi with an open header at the neat post; he rises early with Sainsbury for company but can only steer a relatively easy header wide of the target. Should have buried it.
- 18commentMilligan works overtime down the left as he takes three South Korean defenders on before managing to chip the ball towards his chest whereby it takes a deflection of Du-ri and drifts out of play. Milligan's hard work earns the Socceroos a throw in which is then wasted.
- 15commentA quick throw in almost catches Australia unawares as Sainsbury manages to marshall both himself and Franjic in defence as Du-ri's throw on the right wing is almost sent through to Tae-hee who was lurking; Jedinak stands on the last line to clear though.
- 12commentAustralia look for their reliable outlet down the right as Luongo plays through Kruse but the latter's pace can't be found as he tries to work his around Young-gwon who shields the ball out before Kruse could pick up a second touch to cross it in.
- 9commentThis encounter is fast and frenetic already with the atmosphere buzzing with Australian fans full of expectation but most importantly, the way in which both teams are moving the ball is exciting. Game's starting to open up already and we've barely played 10 minutes.
- 6commentCHANCE - Trouble for South Korea early as terrific anticipation from Milligan sees him drawing contact from Hyun-soo 10 yards out; Jedinak steps up for duty with the free kick and thunders it just over the crossbar and onto the top netting. From some angles it looked as though it was in..
- 4yellow cardYELLOW CARD - Franjic is booked inside the first five minutes as he clearly takes a handful of Joo-ho's shirt as the latter tried to break into the area from the left channel. Franjic takes the card well before the resultant free kick is cleared by Sainsbury and Cahill.
- 2commentTentative from South Korea as Heung-min goes for a scamper down the right channel befure turning inside to meet the full weight of Jedinak who had turned to shield the playmaker off the ball. Nothing in it but Heing-min's down for some time before receiving treatment.
- 0kick offReferee Faghani checks the welfare of both captains and play is brought underway at Stadium Australia. It's Australia with first usage as they shift the ball from right to left in the first half..
- 0pre kick offWelcome to Stadium Australia in Sydney as the Socceroos come face to face with their date with destiny as they match up against South Korea in the Final of the AFC Asian Cup. A sell-out crowd has filed in to create quite an atmosphere as the hosts search for their first ever piece of silverware. The anthems are completed and we are ready for what should be a memorable night..
Read more at http://www.socceroos.com.au/matchcentre/Korea-Republic-v-Australia/749171#rVvRTg03bz7MZAYK.99
