The 30th match of FIFA 2022 kicked off with Korea rolling the ball. The first 15 minutes of the match was a total Korea show as they got five corners with one of them getting delivered into a real area of danger from the right at the far post. 24 minutes into the first half, a brilliant delivery from Jordan Ayew from a free kick near the touchline and a header by fellow teammate Mohammed Salisu went past the Korean goalkeeper and Ghana got their first goal of the match. There was a VAR check to check for handball, and the goal was finally given.
34 minutes in, Jordan Ayew provided a magnificent assist, crossing the ball from the left to Mohammed Kudus to head it into the goal. Ghana doubles the lead over the Koreans. The first half ended with Ghana leading the tally 2-0 after strikes from both Salisu and Kudus at 24 and 34 minutes respectively.
The second half sees South Korea score their first goal of the match in the 57th minute, as Lee Kang-in sends in a fine cross from the right as Cho Gue-sung heads it into the goal which was too quick for the Ghanaian goalkeeper. Just 3 minutes later at 60, Cho Geu-Sung scores his second goal to level the score after a Kim Jun-su cross comes in from the byline into the Ghanaian box, where Cho is in a perfect position to rise up and heads it past the goalkeeper.
Hwang In-beom gets badly hurt in the 64th minute and blood is streaming out of his forehead. He receives medical attention and is taken off the field by medics as the rest of the players get a few moments to catch some breath. It is 68 mins on the clock and Ghana finally scores to take a 3-2 lead over the resilient Korean team. Kudus collects a pass from the left, turns, and smashes it clean into the Korean goal to score his second goal of the match. 75 minutes in, Lee shoots a free kick that goes fizzing and bending to the right, and goalkeeper Zigi makes a brilliant save.
10 minutes of extra time see the Koreans making desperate attempts to score an equalizer, firing at the Ghanaian goal at every instance. 5 minutes in, Son sends in a cross to Cho waiting near the edge of the Ghana box, after keeping the ball with him on the left right near the touchline. Cho tries to get his hat trick as he has ample space to try and send the ball into the roof of the goal, but Ati Zigi leaps and slaps it away. A cross from the byline in the 7th-minute curls into the Ghana box Cho tries to leap in an attempt to get the ball into the goal but Lawrence Ati-Zigi responds early as he palms it away.
In just the closing moment of the match, Kyungwon Kwon fires at the Ghanaian goal from near the midfield, which goes past the byline after hitting a Ghanaian player as the referee blows the final whistle. The Koreans were expecting to have a game-changing corner, but the referee didn’t give it. They surround the referee in protest and their manager Paulo Bento also walks up to the referee for the same. Anthony Taylor indulges in a heated argument which results in the referee slapping him with a red card. A dramatic end to a rather thrilling encounter goes Ghana’s way as they seemingly qualify for the knockouts with this win.
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