Russia earns a draw against South Korea

The last game of the first round of the group stage matches ended with Russia finishing on level terms with South Korea in an uneventful affair. The match ended with the scoreline of 1-1 as the teams shared the honours after 90 minutes at Cuiba.

The first half went goalless as both teams tried to adopt a safety first  method. Korea made few attempts most of which had been wayward. The second half also proceeded almost in the similar fashion as there were no clear opportunities for either team. The first breakthrough of the match came in the 68^th minute when Korea took the lead. The goal was awarded to LeeKeun-ho but the Russian keeper Igor Akinfeev, who had been miserably sloppy throughout the match, made the worst of mistakes. He spilled the ball hit from distance by Lee over his head and over the goalline to present the Koreans a real gift. Russia made two quick changes and it yielded great results for the Russians. They got the equalizer in the 74^th minute. This time it was a scramble in the Korean defense from which substitute Kerzhakov found the back of the net. Both teams back on level terms again began to play in the way they had been throughout the match and it ended 1-1 with either team happy with the result.

It was perhaps the least exciting encounter of the tournament till now. There was no hint of any purpose in their game of football as neither Korea nor Russia attempted to force something out of it. Belgium might sit pretty after their first as neither team seems to pose any sort of trouble for them in the rest of the matches in the group.

• About the Author

About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.